He will be only the second Eagles sharp-shooter to reach 500 goals at the three-times premiership outfit.

The AFL's reigning Coleman medallist will join another decorated key forward Peter Sumich, who holds the Eagles scoring record with 514 goals.

As Kennedy rapidly closes in on Sumich to become the greatest ever Eagles goal-scorer, debate swings to who is actually the better player.

It could also be about just who was - and in Kennedy's case is - the more important player to their relative teams a generation apart.

Times have certainly changed in how the modern game is played.

Key forwards spend far greater phases of matches roaming up field and even at times deep into defensive divisions in full team defensive presses as well as streaming back into empty attacking zones.

Sumich was a more traditional "stay-at-home" and lead-up full-forward.

He had a rapid-fire leading ability and sure-handed marking on the burst to turn and kick back at goal from his maligned set-shot kicking or wheeling around onto his customary swinging left boot for his scoring attempts.

Kennedy remains one of the surest and strongly contested marking forwards on his powerful burst leading and is generally a reliable set-shot finishing forward along with his imposing presence through midfield when required.

Kennedy has played 181 West Coast games for his 499 goals at a rate of 2.75 an outing, since he crossed from Carlton at the end of 2007 in the famous trade for Eagles premiership captain Chris Judd.

He managed 11 goals in 22 games at the Blues.

Sumich booted his Eagles record tally from 150 engagements at a rate of 3.42 goals a game.

He headed West Coast's goal-scoring club-record seven times and Kennedy will make it six this season.

They each booted seven majors or more on 10 occasions, with Kennedy capable of surpassing that into next season as he extends his highly acclaimed goal-kicking career.

Sumich had a personal-best 13 against the Bulldogs in 1991, while Kennedy's finest one-day outing has been 11 against an emerging Giants at Subiaco just three years ago.

Sumich is a two-times premiership Eagle and boasts an outstanding overall finals record.

He played in 19 finals through the 1990s for 62 goals.

He booted five in the Eagles first ever losing Grand Final and then six in the historic first ever flag in '92 and a couple in the '94 repeat title win.

Kennedy has played in seven Eagles finals for 14 goals.

The big sharp-shooter had a shocker in his only grand final against a machine-like Hawks defence in 2015, when Kennedy mustered just nine possessions and failed to score at all.

He had managed just three disposals to three-quarter- time.

Kennedy turns 30 later this month and is probably the Eagles' most important player in a frenzied battle to qualify in the bottom end of the final top for a third successive finals series.

He heads into his highly probable one-on- one confrontation with rugged Giants key defender Phil Davis again as the league's leading goal-scorer for the season despite the big goal-sneak missing five games in the middle of the season with a nasty achilles heel injury.

In all likelihood, Kennedy is more important to Eagles finals hopes and ambitions to progress deep into September should West Coast make the play-offs than any other single player in other premiership hopefuls.

He is the cornerstone to West Coast's playing system with limited reliable support around the big forward line target and scoring source.

In any discussion attempting to separate the reigning Eagles primary scoring outlet or Sumich from bygone West Coast successes, it can be performances in big finals.

West Coast have consecutive engagements with highly touted premiership fancies the rising Giants and Adelaide back in Perth to round out home-and- away commitments and to determine finals chances for this year.

Kennedy is critical to just what West Coast might achieve over the coming fortnight.

At the same time, as he closes on Sumich statistically and as a critical facet in ambitions for team accomplishment and barometer for success, it might settle or perhaps further fuel sentiments on just who is the Eagles greatest frontline scoring force.