1. It goes without saying that the Eagles would have preferred a stronger finish to the season having made such good progress through Season Seven. With the exception of this game against Melbourne and the round five loss to Essendon the developing Eagles outfit was “in” in every game. The Dees will have a big say in the finals series, so the Eagles could do worse than watch this game on replay and study their method and cohesion

2. The Eagles committed to build this team from the ground up with a heavy focus on the past two drafts. They would be excited by the quality of the youngsters who have come into the club and three of them were prominent in the loss. Ella Roberts, the top selection for the club leading into this season, was the Eagles’ best playing forward and through the middle, ruck Sarah Lakay rounded out a solid season and Charlie Thomas was exceptional in the defence.

3. Supply has been a major issue in recent weeks and this was no exception as the Eagles struggled to link up against the Melbourne pressure. The inside 50 count has often been doubled by the opposition and in this game the Dees led it 42-14 which was reflected in the margin. Melbourne were most impressive with their run from behind the ball and their efficiency was first class.

4. The Demons controlled the game from the outset and denied the Eagles access to the ball. In the end Melbourne had a whopping 90 more possessions with their disposal efficiency running at 57.8 percent. Their control around the ball started with stoppages and they won the clearances 35 to 19. Perhaps the biggest issue was that Melbourne won the centre clearances 11-1 which ensured the Eagles defence was always under pressure.

5. Not only did Melbourne win the ball at the coal face but when the Eagles did get the footy they worked hard to regain possession. They led the tackle count as well (78-67), with 29 of those tackles coming in their forward 50. They also took 11 marks to 0 inside the arc to emphasise the level of control they enjoyed.