The Giants have been very public in their desire to secure an established ruckman for next season and it was easy to see why on Saturday afternoon. With Dean Brogan (back) a late withdrawal, Jonathan Giles was left to tackle Nic Naitanui and Dean Cox, with occasional help from Setanta O'hAilpin. The result was a 30-10 edge in hitouts, a 29-18 return in clearances and a 66-point lead for the Eagles at halftime. Some help in the ruck for 2014 is an absolute necessity.
2. Eagles climb into top eight
Widely tipped as a potential grand finalist at the start of the year, West Coast both surprised and disappointed the experts by slumping to a 1-4 win-loss record. However, the Eagles have clearly rebounded over the past month, with the victory over GWS - the club's fourth on the trot - moving them over .500 for the first time this year. The result has also, for the time being, lifted the Eagles into the top eight.
3. Baby steps towards a Giant crowd
Following a club-worst crowd of 5,830 for Greater Western Sydney's match against Adelaide two weeks ago, and plenty of subsequent publicity about how the club is tracking in the region, Saturday's crowd was always going to be a talking point. The final figure of 6,324 against the Eagles slots into second place in the lowest attendances in GWS' short history, but at least that number was ever-so-slowly heading in the right direction.
4. Giants produce worst defensive half this season
In many matches this year, Greater Western Sydney has started well, keeping pace with their opponents for at least a half before fading in the latter stages of the match. However, it was the opposite case against the Eagles, with GWS conceding 14 goals to half time, the most in any match this season.
5. Hurn showcases skills
According to the Official AFL Player Ratings, defender Shannon Hurn is the second highest ranked Eagle at No.30 overall behind Nic Naitanui, who sits at No.13. Hurn may get only a fraction of the spotlight bestowed upon excitement machine Naitanui, but the defender more than lives up to such a high ranking. Time after time on Saturday afternoon the 23-year-old showed off his tremendous foot skills by picking out a teammate, usually in heavy traffic, with pin-point accuracy. It was a delight to watch.
