1. They might not have hit the scoreboard early, but West Coast had reason to believe it could upset Melbourne following a strong first half at Casey Fields. The Eagles piled on the pressure in the opening two quarters and edged the Demons 56-50 in the contested possession count. The team’s leaders Emma Swanson and Dana Hooker led the way, with seven and six hard ball gets respectively. Unfortunately the team couldn’t maintain its intensity in the third term, as Melbourne broke free of West Coast’s shackles and piled on five unanswered goals to establish what would quickly become an insurmountable lead.

2. While West Coast poured most of its energy into stopping the dangerous Dees, Maddy Collier delivered the attacking highlight of the contest with a brilliant long distance goal in the second term. The 24-year-old, who was tasked with keeping tabs on star Demon Daisy Pearce for much of the contest, found herself with some space on the far wing and pierced the major opening from 45 metres out with a long bomb. It was her first AFLW goal and an important one at that, bringing the visitors to within one straight kick of Melbourne.

3. West Coast’s back line held strong for as long as it could at Casey Fields, but they were eventually overcome by weight of numbers. The Demons worked hard to lock the ball in their attacking arc and set up a wall of players outside it, ensuring that any exit would likely result in a repeat entry. Melbourne used the strategy to good effect and comfortably won the inside 50 battle 36 to 12. They also made the most of those entries, clunking the ball inside 50 nine times.

4. Young Eagle Mikayla Bowen continued her good form at Casey Fields on Sunday. She might be short in stature, but West Coast’s youngest player isn’t afraid to put her body on the line. She had a great passage of play in the second term, sticking back-to-back tackles, the second resulting in a holding the ball free kick. The 18-year-old still has plenty left to learn, but her commitment to the contest will undoubtedly hold her in good stead for the remainder of the season and her career at the Eagles.

5. Another Eagle who has been making good strides this year is Ashlee Atkins. The pressure forward was one of West Coast’s best against the Western Bulldogs and backed that performance up with a strong showing against Melbourne. The 26-year-old is hard at the contest and brings teammates into the game with her tackling pressure and creative ball use. She finished Sunday’s contest with 10 disposals (six contested), five inside 50s, two marks and two tackles.