Missed opportunities against the Western Bulldogs proved costly but West Coast coach Andrew McQualter could see the silver lining following a 16-point defeat at Marvel Stadium.

The Eagles matched the Bulldogs for much of the contest and saw signs of a bright future through performances of young guns Harley Reid, Willem Duursma and Jobe Shanahan, in particular, with contributions from the likes of Oli Francou and Bo Allan.

"It was definitely disappointing to lose. I thought today was a winnable game for us and we gave ourselves a great chance to win," McQualter said.

"Accuracy hurt us in the end. It became an arm wrestle for most of the game and the Bulldogs probably took their moments a little bit better than us."

Despite the result, McQualter said the Eagles' ability to consistently challenge quality opponents reflected the progress made this season.

West Coast has won four games and been in contests against finals contenders Collingwood (10 points), Adelaide (25) and the Dogs without getting over the line.

"I think we're a better team than we were last year, but we've still got a long way to go," McQualter said.

"We're getting some really strong performances from individuals, we're getting better at our system, but you've still got to do it for longer to win AFL games."

The Eagles made a stronger start after focusing on first-quarter performances throughout the week, trailing by just nine points at the opening change.

"We spent some time during the week talking about it. We trained a little bit differently and adjusted part of our warm-up," McQualter said.

"It was a better performance in quarter one, which is what we needed."

The contest also provided valuable exposure for the club's emerging midfielders against the likes of Dogs superstar Marcus Bontempelli and sidekick Ed Richards.

Reid went toe-to-toe with Bontempelli around the contest while fellow No.1 draft pick Duursma produced one of the highlights of the day with a long-range goal from a restart.

"Not many players can take four steps from a centre bounce and kick a goal from 60 metres," McQualter said.

"It was an enormous goal at an important time and it's really exciting what he holds for us in the future.

"(Harley’s) definitely becoming more consistent, and I think he's had a super year.

"He's a force and certainly a large part of the reason why we've improved our football this year."

In defence, McQualter praised Rhett Bazzo's development after another strong showing against Bulldogs spearhead Aaron Naughton.

"He's proved himself to be a really capable AFL key defender," McQualter said.

"I think he’s made enormous growth, and I've got a lot of trust in the way he plays."

Brandon Starcevich also earned plaudits after what McQualter described as his best game in Eagles colours.

"He's a warrior. He's proved that for 10 years in the AFL system," McQualter said.

"I thought that was definitely the best game he's played for us. It was always going to take a little bit of time, especially with his interrupted pre-season.

"I thought he competed really hard today."