A horror ankle injury to Kirsten McLeod has taken the gloss off the Western Bulldogs' dominant 32-point AFLW win over West Coast.
Kirsty Lamb and Deanna Berry shone as the Bulldogs posted an 8.7 (55) to 3.5 (23) victory on Saturday that all but locked in their finals spot.
But they were a player down in the opening stages when McLeod - playing her first game since March last year because of concussion issues - badly twisted her left ankle in a tackle.
The game was paused for several minutes while the 28-year-old forward was assessed by medical staff and helped off the field at Perth's Mineral Resources Park.
The Bulldogs quickly composed themselves, kicking three unanswered goals in the first quarter to grab the early ascendancy.
Lamb (21 disposals), Berry (14, two goals), Sarah Hartwig (two goals) and Celine Moody (19 disposals) were all prominent in the crucial victory.
It put the eighth-placed Bulldogs one win and percentage clear of Gold Coast with one home-and-away round left to play.
If confirmed, it will be their first finals appearance since snaring the 2018 premiership and first in four seasons under Nathan Burke.
The Dogs gave little away defensively and out-tackled their hosts 61-37, denying West Coast a goal until late in the third quarter.
The drought-breaker came when Moody was harshly penalised for holding the ball and voiced her displeasure with the umpire.
Moody copped a pair of 50-metre penalties, which gave Isabella Lewis an easy shot from the goal square after the initial contest on the wing.
Ashleigh Gomes added a second for the Eagles on her debut and Eleanor Hartill rolled through a superb snap from the pocket.
Emma Swanson (28 disposals), Belinda Smith (23) and Lewis (22, one goal) played well for West Coast.
The Eagles are out of finals contention and end their season against Melbourne next week.
