1. Silent tribute
Eighteen West Coast players who took the field against Melbourne were on the list when Phil Walsh sat in the coaches alongside former Eagles coach John Worsfold. Walsh's death on Friday stunned everyone and as both teams respectfully stood for a moment's silence, the normal good-natured hum that surrounds TIO stadium was quietened. As soon as the reflection finished there were many deep breaths and consoling pats on the back among football staff on the Eagles' bench. Seeing the sombre moment play out in such a beautiful setting for football only underlined the dismay felt around the country.

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2. Oh my Darling, Jack helps Josh Kennedy.
Josh Kennedy has been superb in the absence of Jack Darling but the return of his sidekick in round 11 makes the Eagles a nightmare for opposition defenders. Melbourne's Lynden Dunn had Kennedy while Tom McDonald took Darling. Kennedy had a 10-goal lead in the goalkicking list leading into round and while he only kicked two, he led hard and long and was able to combine well with Darling, who kicked five. McDonald tried to drag Darling up the ground but could not take the 23-year-old away from dangerous positions and stop him from putting pressure on inside forward 50. Both are superb leading players and without enough pressure on the Eagles' midfield they were often on the end of a pass inside 50. The two talls received great support from Jamie Cripps who tackled well inside 50 and created scoring opportunities.

3. Nic Naitanui sets the tone
Naitanui is the key to the Eagles and once again he set the tone. His hit-outs to advantage early put the Demon midfielders on the back foot and exposed deficiencies outside the inner circle of the stoppage. Bernie Vince successfully denied Matt Priddis the ball for most of the first half (although the Brownlow medallist simply became a tackling machine) and Jack Viney was good on Luke Shuey but the weight of numbers began to wear Melbourne midfielders Dom Tyson and Nathan Jones down. Andrew Gaff was the main beneficiary (his first 10 disposals gained 259 metres) of Naitanui's efforts in the ruck but he had mates in Chris Masten and Dom Sheed. Max Gawn should not be disheartened, as the lesson will stand him in good stead and he fought back in the second half.

4. Angus Brayshaw lasts one minute
Angus Brayshaw is one of the game's most exciting youngsters and was placed 13th for tackles and 14th for goal assists leading into the game. However it was his willingness to tackle that brought him undone in the second minute of the game. He drove his head into Sharrod Wellingham as the West Coast defender tried to handball over the top. Brayshaw's head collected Wellingham's hip and he lay motionless for a time before leaving the ground with a neck injury. Brayshaw's departure robbed Melbourne of a high half-forward and depth in the midfield.

5. Tackle trouble
Protecting their back six against quality opposition will be the Eagles' challenge when they take on top four teams in the back half of the season. This means pressure being put on the opposition midfield. In the third quarter the Eagles did not do that effectively enough. The Eagles recorded just six tackles, their lowest quarter tackle count for the season. Although they are not a team that records huge numbers (and last year's premier Hawthorn was last on the table in 2015) but the count will need to be much higher against quality teams such as Hawthorn otherwise the Eagles’ defence will be exposed. However it's a minor quibble for a team that has dominated in every area so far this season.