1.    The return of several fixtures in this team over the last five years was welcomed by the Eagles, particularly those of Elliot Yeo and Dom Sheed. Yeo rewound the clock and played at half-back rather than through the middle and produced some dash and dare with 22 disposals and a game peak of 564 metres gained. Sheed resumed in the engine room and was a welcome addition around stoppages. He had 20 possessions, two marks and two clearances. Both men will be looking to build in coming weeks on a solid return to senior football.

2.    Yeo wasn’t the only player cast in a different role, with forward Jake Waterman applying a defensive mindset in his match-up with rebounding Geelong defender Tom Stewart. Waterman produced one of the best displays of his senior career, nullifying the impact of Stewart, but also hitting the scoreboard with two goals. The possession counts were the same with 22 touches apiece, but Stewart was not as influential as we are accustomed. 

3.    Rangy young defender Rhett Bazzo made a bright start to his career with an impressive debut. He punched above his weight for much of the game, opposed to experienced Cats forward Jeremy Cameron he was far from intimidated by the match-up. While he played his first game, fellow defender Jackson Nelson played his 100th match and forward Jack Petruccelle played his 50th game.

4.    The intensity in the Eagles performance was lifted a notch or two on other performances this season and was evident when they came back from four goals down in the second quarter to draw level at half-time. As a measure of that competitive level West Coast led the contested possession count at game’s end 102-91, was down on tackles by just 54-56 but again trailed the inside 50 penetrations 40 to 51. 

5.    Key defender Tom Barrass was outstanding on a couple of fronts. When fellow defensive pillar Jeremy McGovern left the game with a painful rib injury in the second quarter, Barrass led the backs brilliantly. He was exceptional in his one-on-one battle with Tom Hawkins, had 18 possessions and 10 marks, six of them intercepts. Together with Shannon Hurn and Yeo he was an important factor in the Eagles staying in the contest until the final siren.