A “proud” West Coast coach Daisy Pearce says her side notching their first victory for the 2026 AFLW season over an accomplished Brisbane outfit will do wonders for their self-belief.

The Eagles came under scrutiny as they backed up a breakthrough finals appearance last year by going without a win in the first month of their follow-up campaign.

But they answered their critics in stunning style at Mineral Resources Park on Saturday, beating the Lions for the first time in club history by holding on for a five-point victory over last year’s beaten grand finalists.

Pearce said she had no doubt the result would be able to foster further improvement in her side.

“They’ve been working so hard. As the coach, you can see their growth and what we’re doing well, but you don’t really believe it until you win,” Pearce said.

“I’m just proud for them, that they got a bit of nourishment today for all the hard work they’ve been putting in.

“Against really quality opposition, to be able to come out, start well, and absorb some of their momentum at different stages and go back at them, I thought it showed lots of improvement.

“I’ve said this and I’ve meant it — I couldn’t fault the team’s mindset and their attitude over the last few weeks, which shows that they believe in each other and themselves.

“You can’t beat winning. It certainly helps bringing a bit of energy.”

Having regularly spoken about the difficulties West Coast had encountered in trying to grow their game following a six-win 2025 season, Pearce said the result had affirmed her belief they remained on the right track.

“We don’t want to be a team that scrapes into finals, falls out, and gets nearabouts the next year,” she said.

“You’ve got to keep adding layers, and sometimes, you take a little step back because you take your eyes off other important things, but I think we’ll be better for it in the long run, if we stick to it and keep building.

“We want to be a team that competes against teams like Melbourne and Brisbane, not just scraping into the eight.”

One of few negatives to come from the day was emerging midfielder Abby Bushby not featuring in the second half due to what Pearce termed as “adductor soreness”.

“Bushy’s been important to us all year. Hopefully it’s not too bad and she gets away with it, but it could be something there,” Pearce said.