1. Veterans wear green
It was a strange sight at Etihad Stadium to see two stalwarts of both clubs, Brent Harvey and James Kelly, sitting on the bench wearing the green substitute's vest. Between them they've now played 664 games of AFL football. In fact Boomer is just two games shy of joining the 400 club. In their illustrious careers, neither had started as the substitute since the controversial rule was introduced in 2011, although Kelly has been handed the red vest on three occasions. Saturday night's game was Kelly's first since he was subbed out with an ankle injury in round 11 against Port Adelaide. The veteran midfielder came on in the third term but limped off with another ankle injury after being heavily tackled. He managed to return after being taped up in the rooms but his 10 touches didn't have a great impact on the game. Boomer, on the other hand, looked more dangerous as the sub, missing a couple of shots at goal in the final term. He finished the game with 14 disposals, two clearances and four inside 50s.

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2. Brad gets back in the swing
North Melbourne coach Brad Scott returned to match day duties on Saturday night for the first time since undergoing back surgery in early June. Scott missed four games with assistant Darren Crocker stepping up to the plate in his absence. The Roos won two out of those four in Scott's absence, but welcomed their coach back into the hot seat with an impressive win which keeps finals hopes alive. Scott spent his first game back in the box standing up, leaning on his chair for support, but had no issues making it down to the ground to address the players at quarter time and three-quarter time. The 41-point victory is a useful percentage booster for the Kangaroos who currently sit 10th, just two points outside of the top eight. The Roos next five opponents are Essendon, the Brisbane Lions, Carlton, Melbourne and St Kilda - all very winnable games which should see them well in the mix for finals in the back end of the season.

3. Cats star shines in first game back
It may have been Geelong's first game in 20 days, but Brownlow medalist Jimmy Bartel had waited much longer to get back on the park after injuring his knee in round three. The Geelong midfielder had a run in the VFL last weekend, with the Cats' game against Adelaide cancelled after the death of Phil Walsh. It was the perfect warm-up for Bartel who could do no wrong against the Roos. Playing on the wing, the 31-year-old had nine disposals and three clearances in the opening term, and continued that form through the rest of the game, finishing with a game-high and equal career-best 41 disposals.

4. Score review baffles Cats
Geelong fans were left fuming after an Andrew Mackie goal was disallowed early in the third term with the Cats down by 31 points. A score review was called after North Melbourne defender Robbie Tarrant took a chest mark very close to the goal line following a snap shot at goal by Mackie. The replay appeared to show the ball was marked over the line, but after reviewing the vision from numerous angles, the official ruled it inconclusive and deferred the decision to the goal umpire who had allowed Tarrant to play on. Geelong's official Twitter account was not amused.

5. Selwood in trouble
The Geelong skipper is likely to come under scrutiny from the Match Review Panel following an untoward incident in the second term involving North Melbourne's Sam Wright. Selwood appeared to pull Wright's right arm behind his back in an incident reminiscent of the 'chicken wing' tackle on Kangaroo Leigh Adams that earned Chris Judd a four-game ban in 2012. More recently, Hawthorn star Cyril Rioli missed the opening game of the 2014 season after a similar, although less severe, tackle on Fremantle's Michael Walters in the 2013 Grand Final. It will be a nervous wait for Selwood this week.