1. If Adam Simpson didn’t rate Josh Kelly before, he must now
There’s plenty of teams paying Josh Kelly a lot of attention, but apparently West Coast isn’t one of them. Adam Simpson sent his best tagger Mark Hutchings to shadow star Giant Dylan Shiel, leaving Kelly free to do as he pleased. And so he did, racking up a career-high 43 disposals in a best-on-ground performance. The fact Kelly finished the match at all was in itself impressive, after colliding heavily with Eagles forward Josh Kennedy while running with the flight of the ball in the last quarter. It looked for a minute like the 22-year-old was going to be in doubt for the final round, but he came back on the ground with his head bandaged and tissues up his nose, playing an important part in the tense final minutes and kicking the sealer. No wonder everyone wants a piece of Josh Kelly.

GAME BREAKER: Kelly shines in a Giant way

2. Josh Kennedy closes in on Eagles record
Chasing his third-straight Coleman medal, the West Coast star snagged the opening goal of the game inside two minutes, and brought up his 500th major in the blue and gold. Kennedy is just the second West Coast player to reach the mark, with Peter Sumich (514 goals) the only man he has to chase down. Kennedy had Aidan Corr for an opponent against GWS, with the home side surprisingly not using co-captain Phil Davis on the gun goalkicker, and while Corr kept him quiet across the night, Kennedy was always dangerous and only needed seven kicks to bag four valuable goals. It was a brave move from Leon Cameron to use Corr, but there wasn't much more the key defender could have done, and his efforts went a long way towards helping his side to the win.

Full match coverage and stats

3. Leon Cameron won't have any easy selection meetings for the rest of 2017
The Giants were without Steve Johnson (knee) and Rory Lobb (groin/hamstring) for the Eagles clash, but after suffering a string of serious injuries earlier in the year, their list is starting to look healthy again. Johnson will return to face his old side Geelong next week and Lobb will also be a chance. Leon Cameron has plenty of other options in form in the NEAFL, a luxury he didn't have a couple of months ago. Matthew Kennedy, Tim Taranto, Sam Reid, Will Setterfield, Harry Perryman and Tendai Mzungu all starred in the reserves' loss to the Brisbane Lions and will put plenty of pressure on the senior side with just one round of the regular season remaining. It's a positive problem for Cameron, but it's sure to give him some headaches when he sits down to try and figure out how he can fit so many quality players into 22 spots. 

4. Fans given a treat thanks to a classic one-on-one battle
The Eagles entrusted Elliott Yeo to do the job on controversial GWS star Toby Greene, and the pair duked it out in an enthralling match-up. Yeo led his side with 18 possessions in the first half, but Greene booted two valuable goals from his 13 touches, and both men were two of the most influential players on the ground. The Giant looked set to take a mark inside 50 twice in the third quarter but two outstanding efforts from Yeo to spoil the footy were inspiring in such a tight contest, and Greene failed to get a touch for the term. In the end Yeo's 30 touches and five rebound 50s gave him the advantage in the individual battle, but Greene's brilliant goal in the final quarter gave him three for the match, and helped his team to an important four points. 

5. The Eagles' whole season will hinge on the year's final round
A 21-point loss for West Coast means they head back to Perth knowing that they need to beat Adelaide next week to make the finals, and even then that might not be enough. Other results and the percentage of the teams around them will make it an anxious weekend for the eagles, and they'll have to sit around all weekend glued to the TV to see how other games unfold. There could be a scenario, depending on what happens in round 23, where the home side runs onto Domain Stadium knowing they have to win to keep their season alive, while they could also be out of contention for the finals and will take on the Crows playing for nothing but pride. It's that kind of season.