1. Brown falls short in the Coleman race
It was always going to be a tough ask for Ben Brown to win his first Coleman Medal. He came into the contest with 58 goals to trail Richmond star Jack Riewoldt by seven. Considering he would need to kick a career-high eight to pass the Tigers star, it would always unlikely but when Brown booted a couple of rippers in the second term, it seemed a possibility. However, Jake Carlisle and Logan Austin often double-teamed the big Roo and he finished with three, to end his year four behind Riewoldt. It seemed skipper Jack Ziebell was in no mood to help Brown reach overhaul the Tiger, bagging three goals in the opening term.

ROOS FINISH ON HIGH NOTE Full match coverage and stats

2. Suspension looming for Thompson, if he receives another contract
North Melbourne backman Scott Thompson does not yet know if the Roos will keep him on for next season, but if they do, he can expect to have a later start than the rest of his teammates. An incident in the second term saw the 32-year-old hit Saints onballer Jack Steele in the head with his left fist and Thompson was reported for striking. If that ends up being Thompson’s final game, that incident will slightly mar what has been a fine career for a player who made the All Australian side in 2013.

3. Daw floors Lonie
With the ball bobbling in the midfield during the opening term, Jack Lonie and Majak Daw came in from opposite directions. Despite giving up 26kg and 21cm, the Saint did what he needed to and did his best to win the football. Daw arrived a split second later and collected Lonie with a crunching hit that left the small forward down for a few moments. He recovered and played out the game, and Daw gave Lonie a pat on the body after the collision.

4. Fixing woeful kicking No.1 on the agenda for Gallagher
A terrible start to the match saw St Kilda fall behind by 22 points at the first break and it was a deficit the Saints could not recover from. Once again, there were some deplorable errors by foot. That's an issue that has been apparent all season and will need to be seriously looked at when incoming list manager James Gallagher starts his new role on Monday. Through the midfield, Alan Richardson's side doesn't have enough good users, so will need the likes of Jade Gresham, Hunter Clark and Nick Coffield to spend more time in there next year.

5. Competition even as ever
Never has the team that finished 12th on the ladder had 11 wins, let alone 12, as Adelaide managed this year. That stat speaks to how tight the race for finals was this year, especially considering that number of victories is typically enough for a side to make finals. North Melbourne ended up ninth, a remarkable effort considering the consensus view from pundits was the Kangaroos would either finish last or close enough to that position.