1. Having been so good for the best part of a month around the contest, the Eagles met their match with the ferocious Gold Coast midfield. The Suns won the contested possession count 148-111, clearances 48-31, ground balls 49-60 and tackles 80-66. Noah Anderson (12 clearances) and Matt Rowell (10) were decisive winners around stoppages while ruckman Jarrod Witts also had 10 clearances and was the most influential player on the ground.

2. The Eagles forwards had enjoyed strong supply in the previous three games but the inside 50 count was down in this game, a by-product of being beaten around the contest. The Eagles manufactured just 35 inside 50 entries compared to the Suns’ 67 so it was actually a good effort to get within 18 points with five minutes to play. Jake Waterman continued his strong form to kick four goals, including the 100th career goal from 91 games. Jack Darling also posted a milestone with the first of his two goals taking him into second place on the club’s all-time goal-kicking table, past Peter Sumich (514) and behind Josh Kennedy (712).

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Rd 7 highlights v Gold Coast

The best moments from the Eagles encounter against the Suns

3. One of the players having a solid start to the season but has flown under the radar to some extent is half-forward Jack Petruccelle. He has enjoyed having some time in the midfield and had 14 possessions, with six inside 50 entries. Those numbers might not sound incredible, but he had limited exposure in the middle in gained 467 metres for his team with ball in hand, laid nine tackles and finished off his work with a goal.

4. Comparative to the previous month Elliot Yeo was slightly down on his impact in this one but was still in the best couple of players for the Eagles. The midfield bull raged around the stoppages and 17 of his 18 possessions were contested. He also had 14 ground ball gets and four score involvements, including his team’s first two goals. He broke out of the first centre bounce to hit Ryan Maric lace out and then snapped brilliantly from congestion to snare the Eagles second goal inside the first three minutes.

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Yeo's strength puts through the opener

Elliot Yeo lands a beauty after shrugging off a would-be tackler out of the contest

5. The form of co-captain Liam Duggan and four-time all-Australian Jeremy McGovern was also maintained. McGovern spent a long period of the game on young gun Jed Walter and limited his impact before he kicked two of the Suns last three goals. His ability to read the game saw him repel countless Suns offences while Duggan was similarly efficient. The smooth moving left-footer had 26 possessions and eight marks, gaining a team-high 587 metres through those disposals.