WEST Coast has upset Essendon by four points, recording a win in difficult conditions.

Two early goals with the breeze held the Eagles in good stead for the day as they utilised their scoreboard advantage to record a 3.5 (23) to 2.7 (19) victory at Windy Hill.

In front of their vocal home faithful, the Bombers struggled to convert, ultimately failing to find an avenue to goal until it was too late. 

Emma Swanson (25 disposals, 12 tackles, eight clearances) showed her maturity as she injected both class and energy into the Eagles' midfield, while Maddy Prespakis (30 disposals, 11 tackles, nine clearances) was once again a force to be reckoned with around stoppages. 

Aisling McCarthy and Amy Franklin set the tone with two goals in the first five minutes, but Essendon was not short of answers as Prespakis worked her way into the contest. 

Essendon's stoppage dominance has been its strength all year but it was largely unable to overcome the Eagles in the contest early.

Natalie Wood's side was kept goalless in the first quarter, a feat achieved by only ladder-leading Adelaide so far this season. 

Star forward Bonnie Toogood came in as the competition leader for marks, but Sophie McDonald restricted her ability to find space while the wind affected the Bombers' ability to provide her with their usual delivery.

The importance of the captain's influence came to the fore in the fourth term, which saw her register Essendon's first goal. 

West Coast's young gun Ella Roberts (16 disposals, three marks) showed class and composure through the middle, while Georgia Nanscawen (21 disposals, 17 tackles, six clearances) continued to prove her importance to the Bombers' midfield. 

The Bombers rose to the challenge in the final term as they began to influence the game from the centre, but it was too little, too late as classy goals from Toogood and Amber Clarke weren't enough to get the home side over the line.

ESSENDON             0.1     0.4     0.4     2.7 (19)
WEST COAST          2.1     2.1     3.4     3.5 (23)

GOALS
Essendon: Toogood, Clarke

BEST 
Essendon: Prespakis, Nanscawen, Toogood, Wales

INJURIES 
Essendon: Cain (concussion)

Reports: Nil 

Crowd: TBC at Windy Hill