Matthew Pavlich is tipping West Coast to secure a shock win over Carlton in their Round 17 matchup.
The Blues will be looking to bounce back from their tough loss to St Kilda with a win over the 17th placed Eagles, however the Fremantle great doesn’t believe it will go their way.
“Believe it or not, West Coast can beat, and maybe will beat Carlton,” Pavlich said on SEN WA Breakfast.
“The way they’re trying to play, they got to the bye, they reset, it's been a really challenging year in win-loss, but they’re trending in the right direction.”
West Coast is in the midst of a horror season, winning only once in their first 13 games, yet have looked significantly more competitive after the bye in Round 14.
“Since the bye, you can see they’re trying to move the ball quicker, they’re trying to go fast from the back half, they’re playing with more penetration,” he said.
“The trend is in the right direction, they are playing a brand of football that can be sustainable in the back half of the year.
“They will beat Carlton.”
The Eagles have only secured one win since the bye, however they have taken the fight to two top eight sides in that time, with last week’s performance against Richmond particularly impressing Pavlich.
“More supply, they had 54 inside 50s, more than Richmond, they’ve kicked 13.15, enough scoring shots to win that game against Richmond who everyone thinks are going to play in the finals, probably going to go deep in the finals, so great work from West Coast,” he said.
“Tim Kelly is playing great footy, Luke Shuey (had) 11 clearances, outstanding from the captain, you can see the shift in their game style and what they’re doing.
“You don’t like admirable losses, but you could probably term (it) that.”
The return of Nic Naitanui in the Richmond match was the latest in the series of key players returning from West Coast’s extensive injury list, another bright spot in the final stretch of the season.
West Coast will attempt to throw a wrench in Carlton’s finals plans on Sunday, hosting the Blues at Optus Stadium.