We learnt that all the talk about Nick Suban’s tremendous summer on the track translated into performance on the field when it mattered. Suban had a string of sub appearances at the end of 2012, but on Saturday night, he played from go to whoa, collecting 19 disposals (12 contested) and kicking three important goals.

We learnt that David Mundy and Michael Barlow are as fit as they've ever been entering a season. The pair won the ball prolifically in the stoppages and around the ground, and they also won the Ross Glendinning Medal, the first time the award had been split in Derby history.

We learnt that Stephen Hill is lethal when given space. We already knew this, but on Saturday, we watched the damage Hill is capable of when all the attention isn’t focused on him by opposition taggers. West Coast were worried about Nat Fyfe’s influence and sent Scott Selwood to him, thus freeing up Hill and new recruit Danyle Pearce, who also possesses a brilliant left foot kick.

We learnt that Jon Griffin is a quality AFL ruckman. Again, the former Adelaide Crow has already proven this in the past, but he just reminded the naysayers that he isn’t just Aaron Sandilands’ replacement, but a ruckman capable of matching it with and beating the elite big men in the league. The best of the past decade, Dean Cox, found that out on Saturday.

We learnt that the glove still fits. Ryan Crowley, the 2012 Doig Medallist who shut down midfield star after star last season, was at it again on Saturday. This time, brilliant West Coast midfielder Luke Shuey must have felt like Justin Bieber at a paparazzi convention as ‘Crowls’ followed him everywhere at Patersons Stadium. All Shuey could manage was 12 disposals.

We learnt that there’s no patting your own back at Fremantle. Despite the array of standout performances on Saturday, the only words of praise to come out of the change-rooms were “team effort”. Suban was having none of it when asked how pleased he was with his own efforts, while Ross Glendinning Medallists Mundy and Barlow were more interested in talking up the win, not individual prizes.

We learnt that Ross Lyon is a realist. There was no sugar coating the facts, West Coast were depleted. While he admitted Freo had dominated the contest, the Freo coach was quick to remind journalists in his media conference that the Eagles were missing four key midfielders, and Eric MacKenzie and Mark Lecras departed the game injured.