1. We were told that the match committee would use the next month to examine the versatility of the squad and that came with Josh Rotham playing as the second ruckman. More accustomed to playing in defence, he had been used in the role by the WAFL Eagles and he did a good job alongside Bailey Williams. Rotham had never before kicked a goal in senior football, but in game No.44 he nailed a 45 metre set shot that put the Eagles in front in the opening term. He added another in the second term and offered some mobility around the ground.

2. Mid-season rookie draftee Jai Culley has made a strong impression since arriving at the club about six weeks ago. It can’t be easy up-rooting to a State to which he had never even visited to jump from under-18s to elite football, but he has made the transition seamlessly. After a promising debut against Hawthorn, he backed it up against St Kilda with 19 possessions, eight of them contested, and kicked his first goal in Eagles colours. After taking a mark about 35 metres from goal late in the final term, where he cramped heavily on landing, he still had the composure and mental strength to go back and convert the opportunity.

3. The growth of the young players has been one of the positives out of a season that has not gone according to plan and one of those players to show strong improvement has been Bailey Williams. Despite standing 201cm he has had limited exposure to the ruck role but has been required to step up in the absence of Nic Naitanui. Usually playing as a key forward, he had his best day in the cauldron with 18 possessions, three marks and a team high nine clearances.

4. The inability of the Eagles to stop an opposition run-on again proved decisive with St Kilda kicking seven goals in the second quarter. Two of those goals came in the last minute before the half-time break when the Saints took their lead from four points to 16. The Eagles stayed in the hunt in the third quarter but could not get a return on the effort they invested, kicking just two goals from 20 inside 50 entries.

5. Another of the positional experiments that continues to bear fruit is the switch of Jamaine Jones from forward/midfielder into a rebounding half-back. His dash and penetrating left foot makes him dangerous when launching counter attacks from the back half and he generally used his 19 possessions to good effect. One intercept mark at half-forward, followed by a piercing 40 metre pass to Jack Darling in the square was particularly memorable.