1. 'Dangerwood' to the fore
What else can be said about this pair? Joel Selwood was enormous all day, but the third quarter especially, with 16 disposals and eight contested possessions. He was typically in every contest and delivered when his team needed it. He finished the game with an equal career-high 43 possessions (22 contested), eight marks and nine tackles. Patrick Dangerfield didn't have as much influence as he usually does earlier in the clash but showed why he has the 'superstar' tag in the final term, when he picked up 11 disposals and booted two goals. The one he flushed on his left foot from outside 50 to kick off an eight-goal term showed why many consider him the best player in the AFL.

Gamebreaker: Selwood's staggering second-half demolition

2. Another classic between these sides
Geelong and St Kilda had some memorable games at the turn of the decade, including a tight Grand Final in 2009. Based on the past few times these teams have met, the rivalry looks to be rekindled. Last year saw the Saints pip the Cats by three points, while the year before there was a draw. On Sunday, it was Geelong that prevailed in an enthralling contest. The margin blew out to 38 points in the final quarter but there was plenty of feeling in the game, encapsulated by the skirmish between Jake Carlisle and Nakia Cockatoo late in the match. Joel Selwood was outstanding, while Patrick Dangerfield's left-foot goal while the run from outside 50 to kick off the final term showed he wasn't going to be overshadowed either. Meanwhile, Jack Steven and Seb Ross were brilliant for the Saints, with Steven racking up 30 disposals and 16 contested possessions in his first game since round two after he suffered a punctured lung.

Full match coverage and stats

3. Comeback men
Aaron Black and Billy Longer both played their first games since 2015. For Black, it was his Geelong debut after being traded from North Melbourne. The 26-year-old looked so promising after 2013 but never kicked on in his career. In his first game for the Cats, he finished with two goals on Sunday. A juggling mark against Jarryn Geary in the second quarter was impressive and his second stretched the margin out to 13 points midway through the final term. Longer took the ruck mantle from Tom Hickey, who was sore but would have been dropped regardless. Longer took some heavy knocks throughout the game and that hurt him in an eight-disposal and 29-hitout performance.

4. Nathan Brown shows why he was recruited
St Kilda has been undersized in defence the past few years and looked to Brown as an option to help solidify the backline. It was contests such as these that made him necessary, with Tom Hawkins having booted 20 goals in his previous five games against the Saints. Hawkins copped a knock and might have been limited but Brown looked good in the one-on-one contests. The Cat was restricted to two goals and Jake Carlisle was freed up to play on Harry Taylor. While Carlisle didn't have his best game, not having to take the main man up forward allows him to play more of an intercepting role.

5. Umpires get them talking
Those blowing the whistles don't have it easy. Making decisions after sprinting around the ground in a game that is so often subject to interpretation is tough. Most of the time they do a great job but there were some questionable decisions on Sunday. Cats captain Joel Selwood, who already has a reputation among some fans as being 'protected', won a free kick in the first term when his teammate Zac Smith collided into him and then he fell into Dylan Roberton. Geelong was unlucky not to win a free just before half-time when Jade Gresham kicked the ball out of bounds, despite no other Saints being within 15m of the footy. There was also a controversial 50m penalty against Leigh Montagna for abuse that led to a goal to Andrew Mackie. Both teams copped poor decisions on the day so neither team could claim to have been treated unfairly.