1. Bob’s back

The Dogs are 1-3 in games Murp hasn’t played in this season, and 6-3 when he has.  Now, obviously there are other factors as to why the results have skewed that way, but this is really about how important he is to the Dogs purely as a footballer. 

Of course, the skipper brings plenty of extra stuff each week, but on the field he remains as good as he ever has, which it has to be said is pretty remarkable when you consider he arrived at the kennel via the 1999 National Draft.

While Murph brings a certain panache with his ball use, he also delivers with the reliability of a Mercedes Benz van.

You know you’ll get 20-25 disposals, all delivered with precision, you may even get a goal or two if he drifts forward and even at 35, he’s a genuine weapon that demands opposition attention.

Welcome back, skipper.

2. Déjà vu all over again

As we said here, if you felt a sense of déjà vu as the Roos crept closer last weekend there was a good reason.

The Dogs have a 82% strike rate since Luke Beveridge took over as coach which, incidentally, was against West Coast way back in Round 1, 2015, so if you were still quietly confident as the Roos made their charge, that was probably the reason.

That said, the stats say you may have to be ready to go through it all over again on Saturday afternoon.

In three of the last five matches against the big birds from the west, the margin has been 10 points or below.

So if you brought an asthma-puffer to last week’s game, it might be worth sneaking in a defibrillator this week, just in case.

3. Where’s Wally?

That’s a question we no longer have to ask, and how good is it have him back?

Everyone loves Mitch Wallis, so just seeing the hard-headed number 3 back out there each week has been excellent: he gives both his teammates and the fans a lift.

He’s also been tearing up the stats sheet.

Take a look at these numbers: His average disposals (24), contested possessions (14.4) and clearances (5.4) are all rated elite by Champion Data, and his score assists (1.4) and tackles (4.8) are rated above average.

Not bad for someone who missed almost a year of footy.

4. Westworld

Rivalry probably isn’t a word we immediately associate with the West Coast Eagles, but perhaps we should.  

Our joint history is littered with moments that aren’t easily forgotten, and they go back much further than last season’s elimination final.

Think the all-in brawl of Round 22, 1994 and Danny Southern’s infamous choke-hold on Peter Sumich, the eight goal to zip opening term at Subicao in 1998 in a game that we went on to lose, and of course the 2006 semi-final loss which was also the 300th games for Scott West and Rohan Smith. 

They also did a number on us in Round 8, so there's plenty to play for. 

And if that's not enough... The Eagles are a great club, no doubt, but with all due respect, that theme song is not one of the game’s best and if nothing else, we should do all we can to not have to hear that on Saturday.  

Go Dogs!