1. It doesn’t get any more comprehensive than that. Carlton beat up the Eagles around the ball and that resulted in repeat inside 50 entries and extraordinary pressure on the backline. Not only were the Blues fierce around the contest, the intense pressure they applied when the Eagles had the ball created indecision and ultimately decision and skill making errors.

2. The Carlton forward line out-sizing the Eagles defence loomed as an issue pre-game and that was certainly the case with Charlie Curnow, in particular, and Harry McKay threatening every time they moved forward of centre. Curnow bagged nine goals, initially opposed to Josh Rotham, who conceded height and weight to the Blues star. Acting captain Tom Barrass initially matched up on McKay before shifting to Curnow for a period in the third quarter.

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Rd 7 highlights v Blues

The Eagles and Blues clash in round seven from Optus Stadium

3. It was a tough watch and positives were tough to find, but a couple of the young Eagles will benefit from the exposure to some of the competition’s elite talent. Rookie midfielder Reuben Ginbey spent a fair portion of the night alongside Brownlow medallist Patrick Cripps and would have taken some mental notes. Second year defender Rhett Bazzo was injected into the game in the third quarter after starting as the substitute and was sent to Curnow after a re-shuffle of positions. Bazzo would have learnt a lot from the crafty forward but unfortunately left the game under concussion protocols in the last term.

4. Carlton dominated every aspect of the game but perhaps the most damning statistic was the number of marks taken inside 50. The Blues led the count 29-4 which was indicative of the ease with which they moved the ball forward and having a couple of targets who were white hot. The Eagles struggled for clean ball inside the arc and with sloppy entries it was tough to hit targets.

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Simpson post-match v Carlton

West Coast Eagles senior coach Adam Simpson talks to the media after their match against Carlton.

5. Shannon Hurn has been a beacon in defence for 325 games and again demonstrated his commitment to the cause. He stood under a high ball in the second quarter and was on the receiving end of a brutal knock which left him with whiplash. In the final term he again found himself in the unenviable position of standing under a high ball, knowing Curnow was coming. The star Blue launched himself on Hurn’s shoulders to take a mark of the round contender, but Hurn did not flinch in standing his ground.