1. Darling dominates, cements Coleman charge
West Coast's in-form forward Jack Darling has continued his stellar start to 2018, dominating the Giants backline at will. The tall forward was all over Adam Tomlinson, making a mockery of the match-up in the first half, and questions could be asked why Leon Cameron didn't make a change before injuries cruelled his bench. Darling owned the forward line for the Eagles, kicked 4.3 – keeping him well in Coleman contention – led contested marks throughout and was instrumental in dragging West Coast back into the game when it looked like the Giants might kick away.
2. Ward stands tall in a Giant 200th match
If the enormity of notching a milestone 200 games was meant to affect Callan Ward, no-one told the Giants co-captain. He set up the opening goal for Greater Western Sydney, feeding Jeremy Cameron with a beauty, before showing a poise and class that has made him one of the game's most respected leaders. He kicked the fourth goal for the home side, registered 30 disposals for the match, and was a star in a losing team.
3. Co-captain KO'd as injuries hurt GWS
The Giants other co-captain, Phil Davis, ended his involvement in the match early after being knocked out from a stray Jack Darling elbow. The GWS stalwart had been employed as a spare and had been kept pretty quiet when he was injured in a marking contest. An accidental elbow from the Eagles forward caught Davis under the jaw, knocking him out cold. He joined Matt De Boer on the injury bench, leaving the Giants desperately down on interchange options for the whole last quarter.
4. Lucky number seven for the Eagles
For the first time since 2011, West Coast have strung seven consecutive victories together. Not since rounds 18-24 in the year the Eagles lost to Geelong in the preliminary final have they won seven in a row. It also marks their first win over the Giants in four outings. If they can back it up next week with a win over the reigning premiers Richmond in Perth, it'll be the first time since 2005 that they'll have managed eight wins on the bounce.
WATCH: Yeo's crunching tackle
5. Kicking cruels Giants yet again
Leon Cameron will be reaching for the coaching manual and bringing out all sorts of drills at training next week after yet another poor kicking performance from his wayward Giants. GWS couldn’t kick a barn door in their demolition by the Cats last week and in a swirling wind at Spotless, their accuracy was once again challenged.
