1. West Coast could be a contender … but now comes the tough stuff
The Eagles were last season’s beaten grand finalists and, had they won the 2015 flag, few would have argued they were undeserving. In 2016, the Eagles have barely fired a shot and somehow remain well and truly in contention. It speaks volumes that the crowd for this match, of 36,215, was the lowest Western Derby crowd since the opening game of 1999. Fremantle fans had already written the season off, while West Coast fans had started to feel like their team might just end up making up the numbers in September. Against Fremantle, the Eagles fought back from a deficit, got the job done and started to show a little bit more polish. Not enough, but more than they have in several weeks. It’s all that the Eagles of 2016 are missing and they will now have to find it if they are to negotiate a tough run of fixtures against Greater Western Sydney, Hawthorn and Adelaide and take some momentum into the finals.

Full match coverage and stats

2. The forwards were prominent, but for different reasons
Fremantle livewire Hayden Ballantyne was a welcome addition to the Fremantle team that was thrashed by Sydney last week, but was sporting a helmet that looked like it might have been a prop from the 1990s cult film Pulp Fiction. The helmet didn’t seem to impede Ballantyne, allowing him to go about his business in the usual manner, but it did affect his ability to take telephone instructions from coach Ross Lyon. Each time he hit the phone, he had to quickly rip the helmet from his head. At the other end, Josh Kennedy was an absolute star. He was in everything and some of his kicking for goal was sublime. He finished the day with seven goals (it could have been 10) in a performance that put him back into pole position for the Coleman Medal.

WATCH: Seventh heaven for Eagles spearhead

3. West Coast must have been em-Barrassed at dropping Tom
Eagles fans were left scratching their heads when young defender Tom Barrass was dropped back to the WAFL in favour of the more experienced Eric Mackenzie for the match against Collingwood. After all, Barrass had done little wrong in the weeks leading up to that game. Mackenzie was then so disappointing against the Magpies that Barrass was immediately recalled. And he started well against Fremantle, partnering with Jeremy McGovern to show just how tough a proposition it’s going to be for opposition sides to take marks inside 50 against West Coast over the next 10 years. By the end of the match, he had reeled in six important marks to go with his 11 possessions.

4. Apeness has some ability
He may have been playing in his fourth AFL game, but Michael Apeness' first goal still came with just his sixth kick in the big time. Apeness made his AFL debut in the opening round of 2014 and played again the following week. But he has been cruelled by injury ever since and his only other appearance for Fremantle came earlier this year against Essendon. Before the game against West Coast, he had had just five kicks across his four games, but his first kick in this match was all class. The hard-hitting youngster took a strong grab deep in the pocket and then calmly ran around to slot the goal. And he continued that form throughout that match, hitting the packs hard and laying on goals for both Tommy Sheridan (second quarter) and Hayden Ballantyne (third quarter). He’ll need to stay in the game for longer periods to cement a spot, but he showed glimpses of what he can do.

5. Nic Nat and Sandi return
It had been two months since Nic Naitanui last played a game of football, so he was always going to be a little bit off the pace. But the League’s most exciting ruckman got through the match unscathed and showed he had lost little of his skill in the air, despite looking a little less trim than when he last graced the field. Partnered with the improving Scott Lycett against the Dockers’ pairing of Aaron Sandilands and Zac Clarke, Naitanui took the honours for the best ruckman on the ground, racking up 26 hit-outs to Sandilands’ 23. He also managed to hit the scoreboard with a goal in the second term. Sandilands, meanwhile, was returning after four months on the sidelines and was only a shade behind Naitanui. He’ll be better for the run, which also saw him gather 12 possessions and take four marks.