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The ten best Round 1 games from the past ten years

Toby Nankervis could be the signing of the season. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Roar Guru
23rd March, 2017
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There is perhaps no better feeling for all footy fans than when the umpire holds the ball aloft in the middle of the MCG on a Thursday night as the iconic sound of the siren reverberates around the arena.

You hear the noise of a footy-starved crowd sitting in the stands and it is loud enough to be heard in the western suburbs. In that tiny moment, life returns to normal after almost six months.

Round 1 of the AFL season is a unique beast. Richmond and Carlton have had a strangehold on the honour of opening up the season for the best part of the past decade, while the round has often coincided with Easter weekend, which usually delivers a quality match to conclude the round on the Monday. The opening week of the season can also provide its fair share of upsets, making it a tipsters nightmare.

In this article, I will be casting the clock back over the last ten years to find some of the best opening round clashes in the AFL.

10. Western Bulldogs 14.13.97 v West Coast 14.3.87 (2015)
In their first official match since the off-season from hell that saw coach Brendan McCartney, captain Ryan Griffen and CEO Simon Garlick all leave the club, the Bulldogs hit Etihad Stadium under the new watch of Luke Beveridge, a new leader in Robert Murphy and a new multi-million dollar recruit in Tom Boyd.

Facing the Eagles, who were coming off a disappointing year in which they narrowly missed the finals, the two battled under the roof on a Saturday night in a fast, free-flowing game. The Dogs led by five points at quarter time and four points at the main break, but a sharp-shooting Eagles outfit snatched the lead heading into the final quarter.

Trailing by five points with just over ten minutes left on the clock, the Bulldogs took back the lead with a timely goal from former Giant Boyd, before a late major from Tory Dickson sealed the four points, gifting Beveridge and Murphy a dream start to their new tenures as leaders of this new-look Western Bulldogs outfit.

9. Richmond 9.13.67 v Carlton 23.12.150 (2009)
Not memorable for the quality of the contest, but for the sheer build-up, given it marked the return of exiled Eagle Ben Cousins, who was picked up by the Tigers in the pre-season draft following his sacking from West Coast in 2007 and resultant year out of the game. Combined with the event of the first game of the season between two of the traditional ‘big four’ clubs of Melbourne, it was not hard to see why the MCG was abuzz with anticipation.

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In front of a monster crowd of 87,043, Carlton shocked the Tigers with an eight-goal first quarter, and went on to lead by almost ten goals at the final break. Not having a great impact on the contest, the night turned from bad to worse for Cousins, who tore his hamstring in the final term, deflating the Richmond side who eventually lost by a massive 83 points.

Eddie Betts starred up forward with five goals, while Jarrad Waite and a fresh-faced Mitch Robinson on debut slotted three each.

8. Carlton 11.13.79 v Richmond 16.6.109 (2008)
Rewind 12 months, and the shoe was on the other foot, with Carlton unveiling their prized recruit in Chris Judd, who had departed the Eagles after 134 games, a Brownlow Medal and a premiership.

In the very first instance of Carlton and Richmond opening the season on a Thursday night, a high-scoring and entertaining first half had the crowd in excess of 70,000 captivated.

Carlton's Chris Judd is tackled by Collingwood's Heath Shaw

With the margin just one point in favour of Richmond at the final break, Terry Wallace’s men booted 6.2 to 1.3 to finish the game, with star forward Matthew Richardson kicking five goals. Judd had a modest return, amassing 22 possessions and winning five clearances.

7. Geelong 18.8.116 v Hawthorn 12.14.86 (2016)
Yet another big MCG encounter that saw the unveiling of a star player in new colours, on this instance, Patrick Dangerfield. The former Crow, who crossed to Geelong during the off-season, made his debut in the navy blue and white hoops on a blockbuster Easter Monday clash with Hawthorn in front of nearly 75,000 spectators.

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At the start of their campaign for a record-equalling fourth premiership in a row, the Hawks started slowly, trailing by 30 points at half time despite having the same amount of scoring shots. However, a dominant third quarter saw them storm back into the match and grab the lead at three quarter time. But the fuel tank had been emptied getting back into the game, with Geelong pulling away to a five goal victory.

Dangerfield enjoyed a memorable first game under Chris Scott, amassing a then-career high 43 touches and taking one of the marks of the season.

6. Brisbane 14.8.92 v Fremantle 13.16.94 (2011)
Facing the previous year’s semi finalist on their home deck, the Brisbane Lions were in desperate need for the first bounce after a horror pre-season that saw star-but-controversial goalkicker Brendan Fevola sacked.

The Lions led at every change in a close and entertaining game, but a huge final quarter effort from the Dockers saw them snatch a dramatic two point win. A young Michael Walters was the hero, snapping a classy goal from the boundary line in the dying minutes to give his side the lead.

5. Fremantle 16.9.105 v Geelong 15.11.101 (2012)
A year later, Fremantle hosted the reigning premiers Geelong to kick off the season. With new coach Ross Lyon at the helm for the first time, there was plenty of intrigue in this contest. A six goal first quarter had the purple army in a frenzy, but the Cats fought back like the good team they were.

Holding a one point lead at the final break, Fremantle held on to record a stirring four point victory in front of a very happy home crowd. Matthew Pavlich was a focal point up forward with 17 touches and three goals, while Tom Hawkins was strong for Geelong with four majors.

4. North Melbourne 15.12.102 v Essendon 14.20.104 (2012)
On the very same night nearly 3,500 kilometres away in Melbourne under the roof at Etihad Stadium, the Roos opened their 2012 campaign with a clash against arch-rivals Essendon. After having the upper hand throughout most of the first half, the Bombers took the ascendancy and looked to have the four points sewn up well into the final quarter.

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However, displaying some classic Shinboner spirit, North Melbourne fought back from a 25 point deficit with four goals in succession, before a mark to ruckman Hamish McIntosh inside 50 in the dying seconds. With the siren sounding soon after, the tension within the stadium was palpable. From 40 metres out on an angle, McIntosh’s kick failed to hit the target, gifting Essendon with an exciting win in front of 45,818 fans.

3. Greater Western Sydney 15.9.99 v Sydney 9.13.67 (2014)
Entering their third season in the AFL, the Giants had just three wins from 44 matches and had been monstered by their big brothers Sydney in three of their four clashes. That all changed in the opening round of 2014, which was split over two weeks (a terrible idea by whoever ticked this off back then).

At Greater Western Sydney’s home venue, a high-scoring first quarter had the Swans in front, but the Giants fought back, trailing by seven points at half time, and just three at the final change. In a tense final quarter, both sides traded minor blows on the scoreboard, until Stephen Coniglio finally broke the drought with a goal at the 16 minute mark, tying the scores.

From there, it was a Giant avalanche. GWS slammed on six more goals without reply to run out convincing 32 point winners. It was on this day that Greater Western Sydney truly arrived.

This game was also memorable for the torrential downpour and thunderstorms that saw quarter time extended, making the Giants’ effort to win in tough conditions even more impressive.

2. Western Bulldogs 19.12.126 v Adelaide 18.15.123 (2008)
Stranded on 299 games at the end of the 2007 season, Western Bulldogs great Brad Johnson had Round 1 of the 2008 campaign pencilled in for the day he would join the likes of Ted Whitten, Doug Hawkins and Chris Grant in the 300 game club. In front of a home crowd against the Adelaide Crows, the Dogs jumped out to a 21 point lead in the first quarter, but were reigned in by Neil Craig’s men, who took the advantage at half time.

In a high-scoring third quarter, the Dogs slammed through seven goals to five to keep the Bulldogs faithful hopeful.

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It was Adelaide, however, who looked set to spoil the party, leading by eight points late in the match. Enter Johnson. In his own milestone game, the forward came to life with three quick goals in succession to give his side a 10-point lead.

The Crows replied with a goal to Scott Stevens, before Nathan Bock had the chance to win the match. Fortunately for the red, white and blue, his kick was off the mark, and the siren sounded to end an incredible match.

1. Sydney 10.13.73 v West Coast 11.8.74 (2007)
The rematch of the grand final rematch of the original 2005 grand final is, in my opinion, the best Round 1 game of the past ten years. Following on from Sydney’s drought-breaking premiership in ’05, the Eagles won a cliffhanger by a point a year later in one of the greatest modern-day sporting rivalries seen.

With the AFL experimenting by pitting the two grand final sides from the year before against each other in the opening round, it set up a mouthwatering clash at…ANZ Stadium *shudder*.

The Eagles got out to an amazing start, booting six goals in the first quarter, before taking a 36 point lead back to the sheds at half time. Stuck on just three goals for the game, the Swans lifted, as they always did against West Coast, restricting them to just 1.6 in the second half while kicking 7.5 themselves.

However, thanks to the heroics of Daniel Kerr (28 touches, seven tackles) and Chris Judd (27 disposals, eight clearances, two goals) in the midfield, the Eagles got home by a singular point, as they did just months earlier at the MCG.

Do you agree with this list? Is there a Round 1 match from the past ten years that stands out in your mind? Leave a comment below!

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