Former Port Adelaide champion Kane Cornes says the current West Coast midfield is as good as any other midfield in the competition.

On the weekend, fans and opposition were treated to a glimpse of a West Coast midfield at their full potential in the third quarter against Carlton.

With five more clearances and 13 more contested possessions than the Blues, the Eagles mids monstered their opponents and strongarmed the side from an 13-point half-time deficit to an 11-point three-quarter-time lead.

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Speaking on SEN, Cornes said the depth of the Eagles midfield was on full display, as a quiet night from Shuey (16 disposals) was barely even noticed as others filled the role.

“If he’s (Shuey’s) quiet, someone else steps up like Sheed,” Cornes said.

“You’ve got Gaff on the outside, Kelly we’re seeing there getting involved and his entries going inside 50 have been significant in the last month to six weeks.

“They’re such a well-balanced midfield and right now, along with Brisbane, they’re probably the hottest midfield in the game.”

West Coast are enjoying an unprecedented time with Nic Naitanui as his full strength, with the ruckman proving too difficult for other teams to stop.

Naitanui is currently sitting third for hitouts this year on 307, behind only Collingwood’s Brodie Grundy (376) and North Melbourne’s Todd Goldstein (330).

However, Naitanui’s ability to generate centre clearances is elite even when compared to the competition’s best, sitting equal fifth with Geelong star Patrick Dangerfield this season with 27.

Cornes says the X-factor provided by the Eagle’s ruckman was the difference that separated them from the rest of the competition.

“I rated them the best midfield on paper prior to the season but we’re now seeing this come to fruition,” he said.

“Its always a real worrying sign for the opposition whenever there’s a stoppage because you just don’t know which way Naitanui’s going to go and which midfielder he’s going to give it to.

“He can hit it anywhere, and he can hit it to probably six of his midfielders. It’s just impossible to plan for and that’s what the opposition are having trouble with.”

The Eagles will be looking to flex their midfield strength again on Sunday as they come up against a struggling Hawthorn outfit, with a win set to solidify their spot in the Top Four.