1. You’ve got to love the kids. Nine teenagers in this team and all of them had their moments. Reuben Ginbey has had an outstanding debut season, Elijah Hewett and Campbell Chesser produced close to their best games and Noah Long kicked a goal-of-the-year contender. Ryan Maric, the most recent addition to the squad, looks to have footy smarts and neat skills. Obviously with developing players it takes time to achieve a consistent output at the elite level so there will be some bumps along the way, but yesterday was heart warming.

2. Talking of heart warming, so was the crowd. Almost 36000 people, but it was more than just the number it was about the level of support they offered. The noise around the stadium was intense and the ovation for the players at the breaks added another tier to the experience for the young players in particular. The club posted on social media messages of thanks and everyone within the club was extremely grateful.

3. The return of a couple of experienced players made a difference at either end of the ground. The presence of Shannon Hurn in defence not only stiffened up and helped to organise the backline, but he also had 30 possessions and that trademark right foot so often hit long range targets, easing the pressure. Jamie Cripps is one of the most energetic and hard-working players on the club list and his gut running set a wonderful example for the likes of Long, Maric and Hewett as they look to build their careers. Cripps laid an amazing nine tackles inside the forward 50.

4. Versatility is a pre-requisite for the modern game and in recent weeks Jack Petruccelle has demonstrated that he has more than one string to his bow. Playing largely at half-forward until this point in his career his performance at half-back in recent weeks had provided run and rebound. When Tim Kelly was a late exclusion through illness, Petruccelle found himself playing more midfield minutes against the Saints and was again solid finishing off his game with eight tackles.

5. Tom Barrass, the 2022 Club Champion, produced arguably his best game for the season opposed primarily to Max King. He had 20 possessions and took 14 marks in an outstanding defensive display while King kicked just one goal. Of those 14 marks five were intercepts, but just as important to his output was the physicality he imposed on the game.