1. Darling's day had everything
The key forward was hammered for his quiet day on the big stage in 2015, and while he was just about the competition's best player earlier in the season before he was injured, Jack Darling looked a shadow of that player against the Pies. He was outpointed by Jeremy Howe in the air, at times refused to attack the footy when it was in his area at ground level and had zero impact on the biggest game of the year in the first half with just three possessions. But he sprang to life with a monster third quarter and took six marks, four of them contested, had seven possessions, and kicked a huge goal. Darling grassed an absolute sitter in the goalsquare in the dying seconds that could have sealed the match, but while it didn't cost the Eagles, he might cop some punishment from his teammates when they watch a replay of the game in the next few days.

WATCH The thrilling final two minutes

2. Dom Sheed won't be buying a beer in Perth anytime soon
It was one of the great Grand Final goals. With his team down by two points deep into time-on, the Eagles midfielder nailed his clutch set shot from 40 metres out on a tight angle in the right forward pocket. It never looked like missing. Sheed was dropped on three occasions this season but fought his way back into the side and played an inspired finals series, and finished the decider with 32 disposals, 15 of those contested, eight clearances and six inside 50s. When the Magpies dominated the early part of the game and his teammates had stage fright, Sheed was the man who helped keep the Eagles in the contest with 20 first-half possessions. If the 23-year-old has to reach into his wallet at the bar over the next few months, or ever again for that matter, it will be very un-West Australian.

3. Travis did the Varcoe family proud again
With the name of his late sister Maggie – who tragically passed away after suffering a head knock in her local footy game late last month – written on the tape on his left arm, Varcoe repeated his effort of 2011 when he was at Geelong, and kicked the first goal of the decider. The speedster was just as inspirational when he laid a huge tackle on Willie Rioli in the third term, and the Pies were able to kick an important goal through Mason Cox from the centre square turnover. Varcoe's bravery to play the finals series under such emotional distress has been remarkable and must have given his family some joy at a time they needed it most.

GRAND FINAL THRILLER Full match coverage and stats

4. The Eagles' 2015 jitters were on show early
Twelve West Coast players were there when Hawthorn waltzed away with the flag three years ago and in the lead-up to this match many of them spoke of their determination to make up for a nightmare Grand Final performance. But from the moment Josh Kennedy missed a gettable set shot 90 seconds into the game, the Eagles looked spooked. A mix-up between Kennedy and Daniel Venables cost the star forward another shot on goal minutes later, before a dropped mark in defence by Tom Cole allowed Jaidyn Stephenson to kick Collingwood's second. Skipper Shannon Hurn turned the ball over more than once by foot coming out of defence, and with the visitors struggling to find their own feet, let alone use the footy effectively when they had it, the Magpies booted the first five goals of the game.

WATCH Eagles celebrate on the siren

5. Brisbane coach Chris Fagan would have been shaking his head
There were some handy former Lions running around for West Coast and Collingwood, and there's no doubt they would look pretty good in Fagan's team. Elliott Yeo and Jack Redden (Eagles), and Jack Crisp and James Aish (Magpies) all walked out on Brisbane but would walk into the Lions' best 22 if they'd hung around. Yeo is one of the game's most versatile stars and Redden has been a huge contributor in the West Coast midfield, while Crisp starred in defence for the Pies and Aish played his role and was a big improver this season. 

6. The American Pie crashed back to earth but showed last week was no fluke
Mason Cox was the name on everyone's lips a week earlier when he dominated reigning premier Richmond and carried his strut and marking power into the Grand Final, but he met his match in Eagle Tom Barrass. The big man had just one kick in the first half and failed to take a grab, while Barrass stood tall under immense pressure to be one of the best players on the ground. Cox finally dragged one in early in the third term and finished perfectly at a crucial stage of the match and nailed his second after an outstanding contested mark early in the final term. He finished the day with seven marks, three of those contested, and should be commended for the way he responded to a poor start to his finals campaign.

7. De Goey was born to blitz on the biggest stage
Things did fall the way of his Magpies on the day and Will Schofield had his number in plenty of one-on-one battles, but Jordan De Goey's three-goal effort was a must-watch. The gun forward kicked the fourth goal of the game when he shrugged two West Coast tacklers and snapped truly from the left forward pocket, and the stadium erupted. He then kicked the first goal of the tense second quarter against the run of play and launched another long bomb from outside 50 to give the Pies a 12-point buffer early in the last. De Goey finished the season with 48 goals from 21 matches and is sure to be one of the competition's biggest stars in 2019.

THE MOMENT 'Sheed's got the most impossible goal'

8. Year of the Dog should be changed to Year of the Eagle
In Chinese astrology, 2018 is the Year of the Dog, just like it was in 1994 and 2006, and just as it did in both of those years, West Coast won the flag. The Eagles thumped the Cats in '94 to claim their second premiership, but Saturday's win was more like their epic victory over Sydney 12 years ago, an absolute cliffhanger, when they won by a solitary point. Perth has almost shut down for each of the Eagles' previous flags, and you can bet things won't be any different in the west for the next week, and possibly month.

9. Hutchings tamed the man of Steele
West Coast coach Adam Simpson sent his No.1 stopper to the Magpies' most damaging midfielder at the opening bounce, and Mark Hutchings did the job brilliantly on Steele Sidebottom. Named All Australian earlier this month after averaging 29.4 possessions per game this season, Sidebottom was limited by Hutchings to just 14 touches for the day, and only five in the second half. Some coaches don't like to upset the balance of their midfield by using a shutdown tagger, but Hutchings gathered 15 disposals himself to go with three clearances and played a major role in his team's thrilling win.

KING KENNEDY Every Eagle rated from the Grand Final

DE GOEY COMES OF AGE Every Magpie Grand Finalist rated 

10. If we've seen the last of Mark LeCras, it's the perfect way to go out
The Eagles veteran went goalless and didn't have a huge day in terms of his impact, but the gun small forward won't be worried about personal statistics now that he's a premiership hero. Out of contract at the end of this season, the oldest player in the Grand Final at 32 is yet to decide his future but couldn't ask for a better retirement present if he chooses that path. The West Perth product was an All Australian, club champion and leading goalkicker at the Eagles in 2010, has kicked 441 goals from 219 career games. He kicked 32 goals from 23 games in 2018 to be a valuable contributor, but whether or not he can continue that for another year remains to be seen.