Essendon won its third match in a row to break into the top eight on Saturday night, coming from behind in a stirring 16-point victory over West Coast at Optus Stadium.

Senior coach Ben Rutten described the win full of "spirit and character". 

"It was huge. It was a fantastic effort. There is a lot of uncertainty at the moment so to come over here and focus on our job and do what we needed to do was great," Rutten said.

"The boys showed huge spirit and character and it's something we're going to have to draw upon in our journey moving forward. It was a significant game for us.

"Every player tried their hearts out and had significant moments at different times … it's our first win away as a group this year and it was something the guys were really keen to do."

Essendon lost ruck/forward Peter Wright pre-game to a calf injury, with the former Sun unlikely to be available against Richmond in round 12. 

Rutten said the team would embrace staying in Perth ahead of its Dreamtime clash against the Tigers, which is expected – but not confirmed – to be held at Optus Stadium.   

"We'll find out a bit more about what that looks like, hopefully tomorrow or by Monday," Rutten said. 

"It's a fantastic stadium to play footy at, there's nothing to fear coming here, it's a great environment and a great energy. 

"Wherever we need to play next week we'll turn up and do our best. 

"Our Perth supporters certainly turned out tonight and we know our Melbourne-based supporters would be enjoying tonight's game."