Emma Swanson's milestone match will headline West Coast's clash with Sydney on Sunday, with the inaugural Eagle set to be feted for her remarkable journey.

Swanson will become the first Eagle to reach 75 AFLW games in the blue and gold when West Coast take on the Swans at Henson Park, a moment the veteran described as both special and unexpected.

"I grew up not thinking that this was ever possible, so to play 75 games for the biggest footy club and a powerhouse in the west is pretty special," Swanson said.

"I'm super proud to have been part of it."

The first captain of the Eagles' AFLW program, Swanson has witnessed the team’s evolution into a competitive and ambitious side.

"A lot of the foundations of our culture that we built was from that first ever team and the connection we had, so I'm pretty happy that I've been able to see it all unfold," Swanson said.

Pearce paid tribute to Swanson's influence on the club, insisting much of the culture that exists within the AFLW program today was established long before her arrival as coach.

"The thing that ‘Swanny’ has done as a leader is teach the group where the standard is and lead by example on that front," Pearce said.

"It was built by people like ‘Swanny’ and I've sort of just been able to leverage off it and work closely with her.

"This culture didn't start with my era of coaching here. It was carried by people like ‘Swanny’, so I'm super grateful."

The Eagles will be looking to bounce back from last week's loss to Geelong when they face Sydney, with Pearce identifying pressure and competitiveness as key areas of focus.

"We felt like we sat off and gave Geelong way too much time and space to control the game," Pearce said.

"It's going to be important against Sydney.

"It's great timing that we've got someone (Emma Swanson) who is the ultimate competitor, super physical, tough and in-your-face. There's plenty to leverage off that."

While West Coast remains outside the top eight, Pearce said the club's long-term trajectory continues to excite her, pointing to the development of the playing group and the steady improvement shown over recent seasons.

"I'm realistic that we've got work to do and we've seen that with our inconsistency this season, but our best has improved," Pearce said.

"I'm really confident in the group that we've got and the core that we're bringing together.”