Round one offered up some shocks, blowouts and exciting games this past weekend, and gave us a better look at early flag favourites and who really need to improve. Opening round proved to be a small advantage for the sides who played, as Collingwood battered Port Adelaide, Hawthorn beat Essendon and GWS grabbed a win against Melbourne late on. Sydney lost again this week week, albeit not by much.
Richmond vs Carlton
Richmond who were complete outcasts before the game, have turned into winners by beating Carlton by 13 points, shocking everyone and sending Tigerland into raptures. In an incredible 41-point comeback from the Tigers, they put in a massive shift and showed maybe this young team can fight for wins this year. For Carlton, they will be bitterly disappointed with their start, with expectations of a thrashing on the cards, it wasn’t to be as Richmond played an amazing 2nd half to win. Carlton’s inaccuracy didn’t help, but the desire from Richmond was phenomenal, fighting hard and beating out the Blues at seemingly every turn in that 2nd half. Tim Taranto of Richmond led the side with 29 disposals and 2 goals, an amazing game.
Hawthorn vs Essendon
A year ago, when these two teams met in round one, it was Essendon who were favourites and expected to win. The roles were reversed this time around and Hawthorn proved their early premiership credentials by kicking 6 goals straight in the first quarter. The Bombers who didn’t get the chance to play last week were outplayed in the first half, apart from a brilliant first AFL goal from Issac Kako. The rest of the game was fairly even, though there were some contentious decisions against the Bombers every time they were gaining some momentum. In the end the Hawks prevailed, deservingly so on the balance of play. But Jye Caldwell for Essendon was phenomenal, put in a shift alongside Zach Merrett. With two key injuries for the Bombers in Jordan Ridley after his concussion, and Kyle Langford after doing a hamstring. The side will only get younger going into the Adelaide game. Meanwhile Hawthorn will look to go three for three against Carlton on the weekend.
Geelong vs Fremantle
As far as Geelong results go, it can be considered unsurprising as the Cats ran out 78 point winners. Just dismantled the Dockers in incredible fashion. Jeremy Cameron and Tom Hawkins put on 9 goals between them and against a structured backline, Fremantle struggled to break it down, and Geelong kept looking so dangerous going forward. Geelong will face off against the Saints in round two, expecting another win, and Fremantle go back home and host Sydney in what should be a very interesting game over in Perth. Which both sides having shown struggles in the opening week of the league.
Sydney vs Brisbane
The rematch of last years final. It was fairly similar to the game they played last year at the SCG, Sydney got ahead early and quickly, building a 15 point lead in the first term. The Lions fought their way back through the next two quarters. The Swans missed a couple of chances late on to put more pressure on Brisbane, and Charlie Cameron grabbed the game winning goal as the Lions ran out 4 point winners. With Sydney traveling to Perth, they may struggle against Fremantle after losing the first two games of the year. In saying that, Brisbane lost their first 4 matches of the year last season and still won the premiership, so it is definitely not over for sure. As for the Lions, they want to just continue the form and challenge for top 4.
Collingwood vs Port Adelaide
The Magpies absolutely slaughtered Port Adelaide here. The Collingwood consistent pressure was relentless, and Port could not deal with it, and the lead for the Pies just grew and grew and ballooned to 91 points as Collingwood proved that last week was a one off. So they will face off against the Western Bulldogs in round two, which should be very good game, even with a possibly under-powered Dogs side. Port Adelaide will want to bounce back against a fully determined Richmond side, and they will have to improve for their next game, especially because of how the Tigers are sure of themselves and full of confidence following their big win against Carlton.
Western Bulldogs vs North Melbourne
The signs are there for North Melbourne as they fought the Bulldogs till the end only going down by 16 points, which is a huge step up from last season. Luke Davies-Uniacke had another great game for the Kangaroos with a goal and 29 disposals. Marcus Bontempelli controlled the game for the Bulldogs, having a 2 goal, 31 disposal game, showing up in an important game here and a fairly close one too. The Kangaroos can take some confidence going into the game against Melbourne which will be a hotly contested match. The Bulldogs take on a flying Collingwood at Marvel stadium.
Adelaide vs St Kilda
A 63 point win for the Crows on this occasion and definitely deserved, and they looked dangerous going forward with Izak Rankine kicking 4 and Josh Rachele kicking 3. The way they moved the ball was fast-paced and precise, which will be pleasing to Adelaide as they have had their issues in the past couple of years. St Kilda are probably expecting some rough games, margin wise, and their defensive issues can easily be exploited. Adelaide will travel to Melbourne to play Essendon while St Kilda face the on fire Cats in round two.
Melbourne vs GWS Giants
Early on, Melbourne had the better of the game, leading 26-11 after the first quarter with Christian Petracca and Max Gawn being key men in that first term. GWS had the better of the second term, with the rest of the match being fairly even. Toby Greene with his 4 goals, and the Demons inaccuracy determined the result as the Giants grabbed the win by three points in a very close finish. With all the talk about Melbourne and their struggles, they proved something in this game, and could get involved in finals contention. GWS are two wins from two, giving them some early season form, and early flag contenders.
West Coast vs Gold Coast
After last season, and taking most of the season to record an away win, the Gold Coast Suns demolished the Eagles in Perth and picked up an away win and showed that they are serious about grabbing a finals berth this season. Winning by 87 points, as the game wore on, the lead just kept growing and didn’t stop until the final siren. West Coast were not inspiring at all, and could be considered the worst side of the weekend. But they will have a chance to respond, albeit against Brisbane up at the Gabba, which will be a very tough ask. Gold Coast will have a bye.