West Coast brought back the banner, unveiled their teenage star Harley Reid at home and showcased a brave new game plan.

Unfortunately, the Eagles couldn’t ride out the Orange Tsunami and were swept away by a dominant Greater Western Sydney by 65 points at Optus Stadium on Sunday.

To beat the Giants, you have to stop Sam Taylor from cleaning up in defence, Tom Green at the source and limit their diverse forward line from impacting the scoreboard.

The Eagles couldn’t do any of those three things and the result was as expected, with the Giants keeping their perfect start to the season intact with a 16.12 (108) to 5.13 (43) victory.

Those wearing blue and gold can look at the glass half-full. The reigning wooden spooners were competitive from the outset.

Reid showcased his bag of tricks and incredible strength in his Perth debut to finish with 17 disposals and three clearances, while Reuben Ginbey had the best game of his short career with 22 disposals, five tackles and four clearances.

Veteran Elliot Yeo (27 disposals, nine clearances and a goal) turned back the clock to be the midfield bull they’ve missed, while Jeremy McGovern (26 disposals and seven marks) and Tom Barrass (12 and seven) were resolute in defence.

Most importantly, the Eagles played with dash and dare attacking the corridor as they tried to take it to the premiership favourites at their own game.

This is where the half-empty part of the glass comes into it. The Eagles simply didn’t have the polish to execute at the pace they wanted to play.

It allowed Taylor to dominate in West Coast’s front half, with the All-Australian finishing with an incredible nine intercept marks.

The Giants were inaccurate, but they were constantly threatening and did enough to ensure their side jagged the four points led by their own No.1 draftee in Aaron Cadman (three goals).

And their midfield led by Green (34 disposals and eight clearances) and dominant ruckman Kieren Briggs (21 disposals, 12 clearances and 34 hit-outs) were better and stronger for longer to grind out the victory.

There were ominous signs early when West Coast turned the ball over with their first few disposals, leading to a Greene goal inside the first minute.

As if it was written in a script, the Eagles and crowd were sparked by Reid, who gave the home side their first forward foray with a blistering run down the wing which included bounce and don’t argue.

Tim Kelly (22 disposals and five clearances) responded in kind with a silky goal on the run before Reid laced out Jake Waterman in the goalsquare with a kick that had the fans on their feet.

It would be the last time they’d score for more than a half though as the Eagles couldn’t sustain the pressure for entire quarters and the Giants capitalised in both the first and second quarters, showcasing their maturity and superior match fitness.

The home side arguably had the better of the second term but had nothing on the scoreboard to show for it with a missed kick or errant handball keeping them from finishing their good work.

As the game wore on it, became clear it was a battle of first against 18th.

West Coast turned the ball over what seemed every second possession, while the Giants’ class came to the fore and it led to eight unanswered goals from the 28th minute of the first term until the second minute of the final quarter.

The Giants threatened to blow the margin out in the third term, but they were wasteful going with their 17 inside-50s for the term, while McGovern and Barrass cleaned up in defence.

Jayden Hunt broke the drought early in the final term after the Eagles capitalised on a turnover and Jamie Cripps cleaned up a messy passage of play with a classy snap.

It was all on the back of the Eagles’ pressure, but the second wind was coming too late to affect the result.

Greater Western Sydney rubbed salt into the wounds with two goals in the final minute to head into their bye on a high.