West Coast AFLW coach Daisy Pearce says her side will take important lessons from Sunday’s 51-point defeat to Melbourne, with the Eagles showing resilience to finish strongly after a challenging opening half.

The Demons flexed their experience early at Casey Fields, opening with a commanding lead before West Coast steadied late to close out the game on better terms.

“Our start was pretty disappointing,” Pearce said post-match.

“We were up against an experienced outfit, and they gave us a lesson in what happens if you’re even slightly off in your contest work or a little bit slow to react. You don’t get that time back, and they punished us.

“But to our players’ credit, their ability to reset and keep fighting despite the scoreboard was a sign of our growth and the team we want to be”.

While the clearance count and contested ball were heavily weighted Melbourne’s way early, West Coast improved in the second half by adjusting to the Demons’ ability to spread and hold their shape.

“There are great lessons in that for us," Pearce said.

"When you just keep practising, improving and getting those reps in, you get to the level Melbourne are at.

“Today showed us the gap, but pleasingly our group kept fighting and stuck together, which is such an important foundation.”

The conditions added another challenge, with strong winds swirling across the ground. Pearce said her team had prepared for it, but the game still offered valuable learnings about structure and adjustments.

“Today provided plenty of lessons both in the conditions and against the opposition we faced,” Pearce said.

“They’re all things we can put in our back pocket and add to our toolkit as a developing team.”

The Eagles also had to adapt without defender Emma Swanson (suspension) and with co-captain Bella Lewis sidelined after a heavy knock to her hip. Pearce praised the leadership of Charlie Thomas, who shouldered the extra responsibility.

“For young captains to navigate a difficult start like they did, I thought Charlie really led from the front,” Pearce said.

“She was strong in the air against big key forwards and brave with her ball use coming out of defence. It was tricky for Bella physically, but her mindset and attitude were excellent too.”

There was a shining light in defender Annabel Johnson, who made her long-awaited club debut after overcoming injury setbacks.

“I thought she was strong. It’s been nearly 1000 days since she’s played footy, so for her to come back and compete the way she did was fantastic,” Pearce said.

With four of the next six games at home, Pearce said the Eagles are looking forward to the chance to grow in front of their supporters.

“Hopefully we gave them something in that last quarter to take home, and now we look forward to being back in front of a home crowd next week.”