WHERE AND WHEN: AAMI Stadium, Sunday August 19, 12.40pm
LAST TIME: West Coast 15.20 (110) defeated Port Adelaide 13.10 (88), round 13, 2011 at Patersons Stadium
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This match is an absolute must-win for West Coast, which sits one game out of the top four. On paper, you'd have penciled it in for the Eagles a long time ago. For Port, there will be several players playing for their contracts over the last three matches and, with a coach to be appointed in the off-season, all players would want to impress before the year's done.

THE FOUR POINTS
PORT ADELAIDE
1. Last week's game against Hawthorn looked as though it would get ugly and it eventually did, but the Power came out firing in the first term. Interim coach Garry Hocking said he wanted players to show desire and passion and a quarter-time lead indicated his wish was granted. They were unable to maintain it for four quarters, but Hocking said he was pleased with some of what he saw. It won't get any easier this week against the Eagles, but a fast start could give the Power a lift at home.

2. Port matched Hawthorn for contested possessions last Sunday, which was a very positive sign, but they were dominated by the Hawks' clinical skills and spread from the contests. Contested possessions will help the Power stay in games, but their lack of polish has seen them turn the ball over all season. They might not be able to zing the ball around like the top sides can, but if they can continue to slog it out and win the ball at contests, they'd at least be a chance against the Eagles.

3. Jay Schulz made the most of limited inside-50s last weekend, finishing with four goals. His accuracy again was outstanding, kicking just one behind. Paul Stewart was also pretty handy up forward and managed five goal assists for the game. With the Power failing to drive the ball into attack regularly at all this year, the forwards have had to work tirelessly to kick competitive scores. West Cost hasn't had the stingiest of defences this year, but Port's forward line will need to function efficiently to keep in touch with the visitors.

4. After Hawthorn kicked 11 final-term goals last Sunday, a major focus for the Power this weekend will be to compete for the entire game. They managed to outscore the Hawks in the first and third quarters, but Hawthorn outscored Port by 19 goals in the second and fourth terms. Competitive football is something the Power promised for 2012 and, for the large part, have delivered, but to have 11 goals kicked on you in the final quarter of a game is far from competitive. Don't expect many fans to hang around AAMI Stadium for the whole match if the Power offer up a similar quarter on Sunday.

WEST COAST
1. Damaging half-backs Shannon Hurn and Beau Waters have been out of sync the past fortnight. When one has fired, as Hurn did against Geelong and Waters did against Fremantle, the other has been below par. They are defenders first and foremost and both regularly confront negating opponents. However, the Eagles launch a lot of their attacks from the back half and having the pair in form together will be a key to the club's chances in September.

2. Scott Selwood played his best game in more than six weeks against Geelong, returning to a more accountable role against brother Joel and still having an offensive influence. The Eagles' midfield has lacked accountability in recent weeks and Selwood makes a big difference when he can shut the opposition's stars out of the game. He had more touches than the Cats' skipper and finished with 10 clearances.

3. West Coast's forwards need to rediscover their mojo against Port Adelaide, with Jack Darling, Ashton Hams and Josh Hill sharing in just one goal against the Cats. Josh Kennedy's return from an ankle injury is imminent and the star goalkicker could even return through the WAFL this weekend. "I think we're all looking forward to Josh's return," Darling said this week. "As soon as he's back, I know my place."

4. Star ruckman Dean Cox continues to get better as he closes in on his sixth All Australian jumper. The champion big man, who was best-on-ground against Geelong with 45 hit-outs and three goals, would be expected to dominate inexperienced Port pair Matthew Lobbe and Jarrad Redden on his own. Then there's Nic Naitanui to consider. West Coast needs to capitalise on the duo's form and gain a clearance edge for the first time since round 15 (against North Melbourne).

Odds: Port Adelaide $6.00, ??West Coast $1.30

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL