West Coast may have fallen just short of the win but coach John Worsfold was nonetheless proud of his charges following the Eagles' five-point AFL loss to Sydney on Saturday night.

Worsfold said the heartbreaking defeat, in which Sydney recovered from a 37-point deficit to kick the winning goal in the dying minutes of the match, would serve as an invaluable lesson for his fledgling squad.

"We've got some young players who obviously struggled to maintain their impact and we expect that and that's what's great about the games they're playing now and what they're learning," Worsfold said.

"Chris Masten didn't have a great night but what a great way to learn playing on some great players. A lot of positives to come out of it.

"(Ryan) Davis and (Tim) Houlihan and the young guys, I thought they were great.

"I'm sure they're tired and sore, but they're moving forward rapidly.

"If we had have won that game by a point and held on in the last minute we would have learned the same lessons.

"Tim Houlihan doesn't learn different lessons because when the siren goes we are in front or behind."

Worsfold had no doubt his young side, who have won just two games this season, was headed in the right direction.

And after defeating fourth-placed Adelaide in round nine and pushing fifth-placed Sydney all the way, Worsfold believed the Eagles were capable of causing more upsets this season.

"I think our performance tonight - Sydney would think we are a force in the competition," he said.

"Other teams will be very nervous playing us this year but we will also have some hiccups along the way because that's the nature of where we're at, at the moment."

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