Flag favourite West Coast overcame Hawthorn by 48 points at Subiaco Oval on Saturday, but the performance was far from convincing from the ladder leader just a month out from the AFL finals.

After losing for just the second time this season against the Swans in Sydney last week, the Eagles were primed to vent their frustrations against the lowly Hawks.

Most predicted a healthy reality check for a 15th-placed Hawthorn outfit buoyed by last week's victory over Carlton that snapped a seven-game losing streak.

But West Coast struggled all day to shake off the pesky Hawks, eventually winning 12.25 (97) to 7.7 (49).

The out-of-sorts Eagles were held to just one goal in the third term, while the reporting of Ashley Sampi for appearing to drop his knees into Jordan Lewis could further compound West Coast's woes with September looming large on the horizon.

The Eagles face the fleet-footed Bulldogs at the MCG next week, a team that traditionally troubles West Coast, before meeting Fremantle in the local derby.

The joy the Hawks received from last week's drought-breaking win seemed shortlived, quickly put under extreme pressure by the Eagles.

Hawthorn spent the majority of the early exchanges simply trying to get out of their defensive 50m zone.

The only respite for the visitors was West Coast's poor kicking, with the Eagles returning only four behinds for their early dominance.

Brent Staker finally broke the drought with an individual effort from right on the 50m arc.

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