WEST Coast understands how it feels to be labelled "pretenders" and the Eagles won't be taking Port Adelaide lightly despite critics lining up to pot the Power, emerging midfielder Dom Sheed says.
Power coach Ken Hinkley has conceded his fifth-placed side can't argue with the "pretenders" tag after losing all five games against top-eight opposition this season.
But Sheed declared that West Coast has to be extremely wary of the high-octane Power - who are ranked second in the League for scoring (101 points per game) – coming to claim a scalp at Domain Stadium on Sunday.
"We don't read into that (pretenders tag) too much, we know how dangerous Port Adelaide can be," Sheed said.
"We're going to have to get it right, do our homework and really give it a crack."
West Coast has worn the 'flat-track bullies' label at times in recent years and was slammed earlier in the season for poor interstate performances.
However, the Eagles have turned their campaign around since the bye, winning two of their three clashes and playing a strong brand of high-pressure football.
The seventh-placed Eagles will take confidence into Sunday's clash from upsetting the Power at Adelaide Oval in round seven, despite conceding a mountain of inside 50s (68-39) and losing the clearance battle (44-35).
"Obviously winning it from the stoppages goes a long way to winning a game, so we were probably lucky to get a win last time we were there after getting smashed so heavily at stoppages," Sheed said.
