1. To kick it off, plaudits to GWS. Under stand-in coach Mark McVeigh for the first time they were always going to play with an element of freedom and that was definitely the case. Kicking barrels from point kick-ins that lobbed attacking side of the centre circles, audacious kicks through the corridor that were placed to perfection, the Giants did it all. Some of that was because they had licence to take it on, some was achievable because the Eagles did not apply enough pressure around the ball.

2. The result of that dare and flair was that the Giants achieved remarkable efficiency, particularly in the first half when they kicked 14 goals, slicing and dicing their way through the Eagles defence. The inside 50 count was 48-44, time in forward half favoured the Eagles 51-40%, but the decisive areas were contested possessions (-29) and scoring efficiency that sat at 48% compared to GWS who were 69%. Combine that with a deficit in uncontested possessions where the Eagles were at -71 and that tells the story. It’s hard to compete without the footy.

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Rd 10 highlights v Giants

Check out the best moments from Sunday's road game against Greater Western Sydney

3. Small wins within the game are all that can be taken away and one of those positives was the performance of Luke Shuey. While the skipper is still well short of his best, his thirst for the contest saw him leading from the front. He split his time between the midfield and playing forward and worked to get energy around the ball to inspire teammates. It will be a matter of building match fitness in coming weeks so he can incrementally have more impactful performances as the season progresses.

4. The more exposure Callum Jamieson gets at senior level, the more impressive he appears. Again the 21-year-old ruckman/forward more than held his own in the ruck battle, but 10 of his 13 possessions were contested, a tally exceeded only by Tim Kelly and Jack Redden. Energetic midfielder Connor West also demonstrated his competitive bent with nine of his 15 touches won in the contest. And young forward Isiah Winder also gave rise to optimism with a three-goal effort and was impactful around stoppages.

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Winder starts the half off with a goal

Isiah Winder kicks his first goal of the game with a classy finish in the third term

5. The Eagles conceded big numbers through the midfield, but experienced campaigners Jack Redden and Tim Kelly were solid in the clinches. Kelly was the team’s highest possession winner with 23 touches, 13 of them contested, while Redden had 20 disposal, also with 13 contested. Unfortunately those numbers did not match up in volume or impact with the Giants’ major ball winners.