1. Senior coach Adam Simpson would have been disappointed his team fell away in the last 10 minutes of the game after kicking out to a 24-point lead. But in terms of match practice leading into round one, the closing phases were priceless. The intensity lifted immeasurably in the back end of the final term and the final minutes – result aside – were a nice dress rehearsal ahead of round one against Melbourne.

2. Four-time All-Australian Jeremy McGovern was eased back into action, playing his first minutes of the practice matches, coming onto the ground late in the second term. He wasted little time getting involved, picked up some early touches and would have enjoyed the opportunity to tick the legs over before the season proper.

3. The star-studded West Coast midfield won plenty of the football with Elliot Yeo, Andrew Gaff, Jack Redden and Tim Kelly racking up 126 touches between them. Skipper Luke Shuey also got his share of the ball, but the Eagles would have been disappointed with the connection to forwards inside 50. A number of opportunities were squandered and they will look to tidy that up before they play Melbourne.

4. A number of young players were pressing for early opportunities in this Marsh Series match. Perhaps the player who did most to put his hand up for selection was wingman Jarrod Brander. The athletic utility player gathered 17 possessions and took five marks on a wing to give the match committee something to ponder in a fortnight from now. The 196cm swingman, who can also play forward or back, made a solid impression.

5. The Marsh Series provides opportunities for the match committee to experiment and at three-quarter time, they decided it was the right time to show some imagination. Champion forward Josh Kennedy put the cue in the rack and sat out the last quarter so key defender Tom Barrass was thrown forward for an uncustomary run in attack. Barrass took a couple of strong contested marks and look lively at the other end of the ground.