West Coast will know their exact AFL finals equation come the opening bounce in Perth next week.
But coach Adam Simpson is unsure if that is likely to be much of a boost against Adelaide, pointing to the fact their scenario was pretty simple in the penultimate round of the season.
West Coast fought hard throughout a 21-point loss to Greater Western Sydney on Saturday but were blown away in the final five minutes at Spotless Stadium.
An upset victory would have kept the Eagles in the top eight but they now face an anxious wait until the final game of a topsy-turvy season.
If the Eagles are to soar back into the top eight, it's likely they will require rivals Fremantle to defeat Essendon next weekend.
Simpson hasn't studied the permutations and possibilities involving the handful of teams scrapping to qualify for finals.
"We'll see what happens," a bitterly-disappointed Simpson said on Saturday.
"We'll need to win, that's our start point.
"The one thing you don't want to do, and unfortunately we're in that space now, is we've got to rely on other teams.
"I haven't even thought about it (whether playing the final game of the season is an advantage). Maybe. I don't know. I knew what we needed to do tonight."
Simpson planned on throwing "the kitchen sink" at the ladder ladders but conceded his side had serious issues they must address.
"We still haven't been able to win two games in a row in a long time. Regardless of effort, that's not good enough," he said.
"I'm sure the players wouldn't say they were gallant in defeat.
"There is some positivity about where we're going, but right now I'm struggling to find it."
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