What was once a promising season for West Coast has not only unravelled but is now so knotted, that untangling it seems almost impossible.

Melbourne were the latest side to feast on an Eagles outfit bereft of confidence, leading by 46 points at the final break before the visitors clawed it back in the final term to reduce the margin to a respectable 32 points.

It was still a comfortable 15.9 (99) to 9.13 (67) victory for the Demons at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, continuing their push for a finals berth which seemed unlikely before the season.

It is the sixth consecutive loss for Andrew McQualter’s side and followed the same formula of the five previous.

Offensively, West Coast butchered the ball, often kicking over the heads of their leading forwards which played into the hands of the Demons’ key defenders in Harry Petty and Jake Lever, with the pair taking several intercept marks.

And when Melbourne went on the attack, the Eagles were simply unable to stop the onslaught.

The Demons attacked with not only speed but fearless intent which spooked the visitors who simply had no answers.

It led to a defender’s nightmare for the likes of Reuben Ginbey and Tylar Young, who were left one-out against their opponents and not being helped by the pace and frequency the ball was coming at them.

To make matters worse, key backman Harry Edwards didn’t even last a quarter in his return, with the Eagle ruled out of the clash at the first break with a suspected third concussion this season alone.

Veteran Jack Steele was too big and too smart in the middle for Melbourne, racking up 26 touches, six tackles and four clearances, while Tom Sparrow (24 disposals and six clearances) was also impressive.

Up forward, Claremont product Jacob van Rooyen continued his breakout season with five goals on Ginbey, while captain Max Gawn dominated in the ruck with 27 hit-outs, five clearances and 21 touches.

Half-back Tom McCarthy was the Eagles’ best with 30 touches, while pre-season revelation Milan Murdock (25 disposals) and Elliot Yeo (20 disposals, eight tackles and five clearances) did their best in the middle.

It was a bit of Déjà vu from the previous week when Harley Reid gave the Eagles’ the ideal start with an early goal.

From here on in though it was one-way traffic as Melbourne took control of the contest.

Melbourne were so well drilled that when they spread from the contest it was as if they had a sixth sense of where their teammates would run to.

And the Eagles weren’t helping themselves, with co-captain Liam Baker costing his side a goal when he coughed up a 50m penalty when he took too long to hand the ball back to Paddy Cross (three goals), who kicked his second goal in four minutes.

Before you could blink the Demons had kicked five unanswered goals for the term and they were out by 25 points at the first break.

Luckily for the Eagles, Melbourne are not yet the finished product and were unable to really make them pay in a sloppy second term.

It was as if the Demons were playing with their food, outclassing the Eagles across the ground but making simple errors which cost them opportunities to convert on the scoreboard.

Just as West Coast looked like they’d survived a second term disaster, they gave away a costly free kick to Kozzie Pickett (14 disposals) who was well held by Brady Hough.

Cooper Duff-Tytler broke the Eagles’ goal drought late in the second term before Jake Waterman (three goals, five behinds) added another to give them something to take into half-time.

When Waterman made it three unanswered goals early in the third term there was some life in the contest.

Melbourne responded instantaneously with van Rooyen kicking his fourth as the Demons settled back into their dominant ways.

The merciless Demons whacked on four goals to shut the door on any hope of a late comeback, with every major coming on the back of an Eagles’ turnover.

Come the final term all West Coast had left to play for was pride.

And several youngsters ensured they could take some positives out of yet another defeat.

Jack Hutchinson kicked a goal in his first game of the season, while Malakai Champion gave the Eagles consecutive goals for the first time in the second half.

But again, simple errors cost West Coast. Co-captain Liam Duggan went for a big spoil, but it went out the back of the pack where van Rooyen was able to get on the end of the play and kick his fifth.

The Eagles were determined to finish the game off well though, with Tim Kelly (25 disposals) lifting in the last quarter to set up several scoring opportunities.

And they won the final quarter, kicking four goals to two giving them something to build on ahead of their clash against Greater Western Sydney at Optus Stadium next weekend.

SCOREBOARD

MELBOURNE 5.3, 8.6, 13.7, 15.9 (99)

WEST COAST 1.2, 3.5, 5.9, 9.13 (67)

Goals – MELBOURNE: J van Rooyen 5 P Cross 3 K Chandler M Gawn M Jefferson H Langford A Moniz-Wakefield K Pickett H Sharp. WEST COAST: J Waterman 3 M Champion T Cole C Duff-Tytler J Hutchinson H Reid B Williams.

Best – MELBOURNE: T Sparrow E Langdon M Gawn J Steele J van Rooyen H Petty. WEST COAST: T McCarthy B Hough E Yeo M Murdock T Kelly W Duursma.

Injuries – MELBOURNE: D Turner (illness) replaced in the selected side by A Moniz-Wakefield. WEST COAST: H Edwards (concussion).

Umpires: N Jankovskis J Pearson M Nicholls J Clamp. Crowd: TBC at Marvel Stadium.