1. It was a disappointing result on Saturday for the West Coast Eagles, falling to the Western Bulldogs by eight points at Mineral Resources Park. The Eagles were chasing their first consecutive victory in their five-season history, but the Bulldogs had other ideas and took the four points for themselves, the injury-laden visitors securing their first win of 2023.

2. After a strongly contested first term, the Bulldogs kicked a goal on the quarter-time siren to take a six-point lead into the second. The Eagles wrestled hard to get back into the game, down by as much as 26 points in the third quarter, but some missed opportunities around the ground and in front of goal saw the fightback fall agonisingly short for the home side. Despite the loss, the Eagles have been in similar positions throughout the year where they have trailed by significant margins and have not been able to muster the energy to surge back into the contest. The team showed heart and determination to stay competitive, but it just wasn’t enough to see them get over the line.

3. Eagles captain Emma Swanson was incredibly impressive once again, the 28-year-old finishing with a team-high 28 disposals, a team-high seven marks, and a team-high seven tackles. Her leadership is second to none, setting a superb example for her developing teammates, and continuing to deliver week in and week out. With one game remaining, Swanson’s current disposal average for 2023 (21.4) is hot on the heels of her Club Championship-winning average from season seven (21.5).

4. Experienced defender Evie Gooch played possibly her best game of the season, her 12 disposals and three marks underrepresenting her impact in the Eagles backline on Saturday. Gooch was poised, controlled and reliable, and continually put herself in the right place at the right time, stopping the Bulldogs’ momentum on a number of occasions.

5. West Coast will wrap up their 2023 campaign on Saturday against the second-placed Adelaide Crows at Mineral Resources Park. It will be a challenging contest for the blue and gold, but an opportunity to come up against one of the best sides in the competition. The emerging young Eagles are set to do additional individual prep on their opponents this week, as assigned by caretaker coach Rohan McHugh, and will hopefully take some learnings out of the game, no matter the result.