Forget the federal election.

Sunday's western derby between West Coast and Fremantle will provide all the political drama you're after.

But that's not good news for Eagles coach John Worsfold, who is fearing a voter backlash after six straight derby losses.

"For our supporters, they would love the team to win a derby - they're getting pretty angry at me for letting it go that long," Worsfold admits.

"Generally they are pretty polite when I'm in striking distance.

"But from over the fence and hidden in a sea of faces, you get some interesting comments.

"Generally our supporters have been very good and very supportive.

"And while (they're) not happy and not satisfied, (it's) very much similar to where we're at as a match committee.

"We understand that we've got a lot of hard work to do and it's not going to happen overnight, it's going to take another 12 months to really put it all together and see the climb up the ladder.

"But their (the fans') patience doesn't count for derbies.

"That's still a game that they say 'well, forget about all of those reasons and all that, just try and win the derby'."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey, whose side sits fifth on the table, exudes confidence as he struts his stuff on the campaign trail.

"We've got our election this week, haven't we, to see who wins the game on Sunday," Harvey proclaims.

"That's our election.

"It's a big build-up, it's a campaign, a lot of debate, a lot of voting, a lot of opinions, very similar.

"Just a different outcome."

Fremantle, once the whipping boys for West Coast, are undoubtedly the ruling party after winning eight of their past nine derbies.

So does that mean Harvey takes on the role of Julia Gillard?

"You can work out which one is Tony (Abbott) or Julia and I'll be interested in your opinion," Harvey replied with a laugh.

Worsfold, like any good politician attempting to play down a crisis, is pushing the long-term message to his restless followers.

"For us as a team, we want to build to become a very good team to be able to challenge for a premiership down the track and we're focused on those areas we've been working on," Worsfold says.

"It's not like we're going to change things just for one week (in an attempt to win the derby).

"We've got to keep building and work on midfield intensity and run and ball-use and all those sorts of things."

Harvey enters this election as a raging favourite.

But surely Woosha possesses an X-factor that could swing the tide his way?

Apparently not.

"We haven't got a lot of Xs around at the moment, we might just go with what we've normally got," Worsfold says.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP