1. In round six, the West Coast Eagles showed the work rate is there, it’s just about fine tuning fundamental skills and learning to stop momentum. In the team’s 20^th match in the AFLW competition, West Coast managed to narrow the margin to single digits in the third term – thanks to a terrific goal from Irish speedster Niamh Kelly – but were subject to a four-goal burst from Collingwood late in the same quarter. The team’s effort across the day was not reflected in the scoreboard, but senior coach Michael Prior concedes the team must get better at playing across all four quarters.

2. Prior has also touted the Eagles’ first quarters as something to improve on, with West Coast held goalless in five of their six games this season, and held scoreless in three. In Sunday’s clash against Collingwood the side were unable to notch a score on the board for the first term, and had three inside 50 entries to Collingwood’s 18. This will be a main focus at training for Prior this week, after playing three games in the space of eight days and being unable to train for this period.

3. The team will also look to get more supply early into West Coast’s forwards, finishing the day with 23 inside 50s to Collingwood’s 40. But there are positive signs to take away from the match, with the Eagles creating 10 scoring shots at a 44% efficiency rate, to the Magpies’ 14 shots at a 35% efficiency rate. West Coast also took more marks inside their forward 50 than Collingwood (seven to five), showing the talent is there, but needs to result in more scoreboard pressure.

4. If West Coast’s inside 50 efficiency rate is a credit to the forwards, then Collingwood’s must also be looked at as a credit to the Eagles defenders. Young Charlie Thomas played her first match across half-back and earned best Eagle afield for a nine-intercept performance, while experienced Belinda Smith (eight) and Ashton Hill (seven) were also instrumental in manning the backline for the day.

5. In the absence of hardnosed midfielder Aisling McCarthy, contributors to the Eagles’ engine room also stood up across the day. Vice-captain Dana Hooker had a season-best performance with 21 disposals, four marks and nine contested possessions while skipper Emma Swanson (19, eight contested) and Niamh Kelly (16, 418 metres gained) were also influential in the centre.