1. Imposing athlete Nic Naitanui is in a rich vein of form. Some have labelled it career best because, well, the media likes to label things. Maybe they had just forgotten – or not understood – his impact earlier in his career. Anyway, let’s put that to one side, he’s one of the most influential players in the competition and certainly imposed himself on this game and was instrumental in a four-goal burst in the opening stanza that set the Eagles on their way. With 14 possessions, 13 of them contested, two marks, seven hard ball gets and 28 hitouts he had a powerful say in the outcome.
2. The football world is just starting to understand Jackson Nelson and Jackson Nelson is just starting to understand the game. Some players take longer than others to find the sweet spot in their game and the blond defender has found his in 2020. While he has become an integral part of the defensive unit, one of his underrated qualities is his toughness. Don’t ever judge a book by its cover, he might look like a choir boy but he’s hard and committed and people would have seen a glimpse of it last night. He copped a solid hit to the shoulder in the second term, left the ground for treatment just before half time and despite some discomfort returned in the second half. He never flinched in his commitment to the footy.
3. Talking about commitment, the focus of key forward Jack Darling to a marking contest in the third term was bone jarring. Pacy forward Jamie Cripps had gathered the ball deep in the pocket and rather than taking the speculative shot from the tight angle, he drilled the ball to what, in the football vernacular, is called the hot spot. Darling and young Giant Bobby Hill arrived simultaneously and both felt the severity of the collision. Darling marked and then kicked his third goal in what was another important contribution from the Eagles ironman.
4. A couple of young stars took another important step forward in their careers as well. Josh Rotham, an adaptable defender has been used on medium and smaller opposition forwards. Rotham had 16 possessions and took 11 marks – five of them intercept grabs – to be an important contributor. Jarrod Brander was also outstanding, backing up from a strong performance last week, to have 16 possessions, six marks and gained more ground than any other Eagle, advancing 474 metres from his disposals.
5. When there’s a job to be done on a dangerous medium or small opposition forward the starting point is the highly malleable Brad Sheppard. Generally, Adam Simpson and his coaching staff don’t need Plan B. Before he suffered a hamstring strain Giants forward Toby Greene was considered one of the most potent players in the game. He returned against the Eagles and naturally, Sheppard started on him. In three quarters the Giant dynamo had just nine possessions, while Sheppard finished with 17 touches and seven marks. It was the Giants who implemented Plan B, with Greene going into the middle, where he had 11 touches in the final term, demonstrating why there is such strong the respect for his capacity to influence a game.
