West Coast coach Adam Simpson concedes there's more pain to come for his struggling team - but he hopes it doesn't last for years.
The Eagles' struggles were magnified on Friday night when they copped a 109-point flogging at the hands of a ruthless Richmond outfit.
It left West Coast on bottom of the ladder with a 1-6 record and a percentage of 55.3.
The Eagles have been ravaged by COVID-19 and injuries this season.
But their ageing list profile and woeful on-field performances means a complete rebuild is now inevitable.
West Coast refuse to use the world rebuild, instead saying the list is in "transition".
Simpson acknowledged there will be pain ahead, but he baulked when asked whether that could turn into several years.
"Several years? I hope not," Simpson said.
"No-one wants to be in the situation that we're in right now, but we are.
"The quicker we can accept what's happening and be aware of it and action it, the better we'll get.
"Regardless of what's happened we are in a period of transition, no doubt.
"This is how you learn to be resilient. We need to stick together. Obviously there's going to be some criticism and we deserve it. We need to keep ourselves tight."
Thousands of fans streamed out of Optus Stadium on Friday night during the second half as the margin ballooned towards triple figures.
"We're clearly not at the level at the moment," conceded Simpson.
"There's so many areas to fix. It's going to take time.
"It's not going to happen in one week, it's going to be a lot of work in front of us.
"That's with everything we do, our program, our fitness, our style of play, our ball movement.
"We're on a path. There's going to be a little bit of pain.
"We've got to look for some small wins in the next couple of weeks. We've got a reasonably tough couple of weeks coming up with Brisbane in Brisbane and then Melbourne."
Star forward Willie Rioli was subbed out at halftime against Richmond with a corked hamstring, and Simpson is hopeful it's not more serious.
Defender Tom Barrass, who was a late withdrawal with a tight hamstring, is a chance to return against the Lions at the Gabba.
Midfield bull Elliot Yeo is no guarantee to return from a heavy concussion.
