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It is great to have AFL back, even better to have a round that isn’t the best part of a month long.
St Kilda v Richmond
The round kicked off Friday night, with Richmond taking on St Kilda.
The Tigers had finally beaten Carlton in Round 1 and were looking to start a season with consecutive wins for the first time since 1997.
St Kilda were out for redemption having thrown away a lead against the Gold Coast the week before.
At times Richmond looked clearly dominant but always left the door ajar. For the Tigers it must be a relief to hold on in two tight games already this seasons considering they seemed to be on the wrong end of every close game last year.
Scott Watters admitted post game that St Kilda are rebuilding and given most of their key players were in and played well it is hard to see where much of an upside is.
Not only will they struggle to play finals, it seems unlikely some of the Saints loyal warriors such as Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes and Leigh Montagna will ever taste the ultimate success, it will be a long year for Saints fans.
Sydney v Gold Coast
Super Saturday probably failed to live up to the hype. The premiers unveiled the flag and then did what needed to done in the wet against a gallant Gold Coast.
Jarred McVeigh continues to evolve into one of the best captains in the competition. His new co captain Kieran Jack won’t be far behind.
On current form it would be hard to argue Mike Pyke is not one of the best ruckman in the competition and his ability to push forward and hit the scoreboard makes him an important weapon to the Swans.
Overall the Suns would be happy with their first two weeks. The future looks bright for many young guns such as Dixon, Prestia and Swallow.
They would be feeling even further over the moon watching young Jaeger O’Meara strut his stuff. O’Meara collected 25 classy possessions against one of the best defensive midfields in the comp, this kid will be the best player in the AFL in five years, he is all class.
Western Bulldogs v Fremantle
Fremantle have let a side kick 12 goals only once in the last 13 games, this continued against the Bulldogs on Saturday.
Keeping the Dogs to one goal in the first quarter pretty much sealed the result. The Bulldogs will be disappointed after the great Round 1 victory.
Ross Lyon is a coach who values defence so highly and he has the Dockers playing finals footy.
With the talent he has at his disposal and on current form they must have their sights set firmly on a top four spot. If this is to be their year they need to do all they can to secure the double chance, one of their first key tests will be this Friday against Essendon.
Brisbane v Adelaide
The Saturday twilight game was played in greasy conditions and was finally split open with a touch of class from Patrick Dangerfield and the gut running of Rory Sloane.
The Crows continue to look a bit slow and while Josh Jenkins is developing well he is going to struggle to fill the massive hole left by Kurt Tippett.
On current form it will be hard to see them matching last year’s top-four finish, but it is early days yet.
The Lions have failed to capitalise on their NAB Cup success. They tried hard to stay in this game, but played only three quarters of footy.
Scoring only four behinds to five goals in the last quarter was a woeful effort and reflects their forward lines inability to function.
The key to the Lions scoring goals is still Jonathan Brown. As great a player as Brown has been, he currently looks to slow and too old.
Conditions were not favourable, but one behind from a nine possession game is a poor return.
The Lions biggest challenge is to develop support for Brown and someone to ultimately replace him, it is hard to see how they kick a winning score if Brown cannot lift his form.
Port Adelaide v GWS
On paper Saturday night did not present very exciting games. The Power under new coach Ken Hinkley remained undefeated by defeating a GWS side who again hung in a game for a half before being overrun.
The Power would take any win they can get at this stage and after honouring the memory of John McCarthy would be pleased with a big win. If they can carry their winning form into next weeks showdown then things will start to get interesting at Alberton.
GWS have improved and continue to show off their young talent, but the reality is they still do little more than make up the numbers.
They will struggle to beat many sides, but they should avoid some of the bigger losses they got last year.
The future does look bright if this list stays together. The thought of Cameron and Patton plying their trade together in the years to come would have other sides worried.
The one thing giving GWS hope of winning a second wooden spoon must be the form of the loser of the other Saturday night clash.
Essendon v Melbourne
Melbourne were little more than witches hats in the 148 point loss to Essendon.
Taking nothing away from the Bombers who never let up, they would of faced tougher tests at Thursday night training.
One would expect another long week for the Demons, they are one of the worst sides in recent history.
It is hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel, they have a lot of high picks going nowhere.
The senior players provide no leadership. There is no real sign of a gameplan and they look lost far too often out there.
Will Mark Neeld coach out the season? Will changing the coach make a difference? These questions may well be answered soon.
After the off season from hell, James Hird must be relieved to see how well his side has opened the year. Sitting a top of the ladder is the best possible result to the controversial pre season.
We will learn more about Essendon when they face Fremantle Friday night, but what we have seen so far looks good.
But last year they looked fantastic and fell in a heap, you feel they will be judged on the ability to run out a full year more than anything else.
Geelong v North Melbourne
Sunday promised some exciting clashes. For most of the game North Melbourne looked to have Geelong under control, leading by almost six goals at half time.
Geelong are still full of good players and are never out of the game and ran over the top of North.
In fact Geelong should have won by more if not for inaccurate kicking.
North fans were not happy with the 50 to Bartel for the match winning goal. Their coach Brad Scott was not happy the roof was open while the rain came down and I doubt we have heard the last of this issue.
North promised a lot this year but now face last year’s premiers in a must win game to avoid a 0-3 start.
The Cats remain undefeated and keep on finding a way to win. They may start winning games a little easier to spare their fans hearts, it is worth bearing in mind their home ground won’t be available until mid year, a scary proposition if they keep winning the way they are.
Collingwood v Carlton
Collingwood and Carlton have arguably the biggest rivalry in the game, but was overshadowed by the Malthouse v Buckley coaching duel.
Nathan Buckley was able to go one up on his old master as his plucky pies beat Carlton by 17 points.
This was in spite of losing Darren Jolly early in the game leaving them undermanned in the ruck. The ability of no names Jamie Elliott and Sam Dwyer to stand up and play pivotal roles in the win shows yet again the Pies have strong depth.
Collingwood as usual will be a big player in the premiership race.
Carlton will be frustrated to be 0-2 when they could easily be undefeated. They lack a key forward and I am not sure this list has the ability to contend for a premiership at the moment. The goals were shared among small forward options today and it has been shown in the past that can be easy for the good sides to shut down.
West Coast v Hawthorn
The final game of the round saw last year’s runners up Hawthorn defeat one of the main contenders West Coast at Subiaco.
Given West coast had an extra days rest and their exceptional record at Subiaco it was a fantastic rebound effort from the Hawks after the loss to Geelong.
The Eagles are looking a bit lost without All Australian Nic Naitanui, Dean Cox does not look as effective, add in missing Mark LeCras and Daniel Kerr and the team seems to be struggling.
The next few weeks starting with a game against Melbourne should allow them to get back on track. For the Eagles to win the flag they would be aiming for a top two finish, to get a home final, to do so they better start winning.
Hawthorn flexed their muscles and showed when they are up and running they are the best scoring side in the competition.
They have a tough draw early, playing all of last year’s finalists, todays results was a surprising percentage boost that could stand them in good stead at the end of the year.
The ability to pile on late goals in 32 degree heat despite looking out on their feet was fantastic.
All in all round two was interesting.
There were not too many surprises in the end but there was some great football.
The biggest story of the week will no doubt be how pathetic the Melbourne Football Club currently is.
The challenge will be for everyone to be careful in drawing conclusions.
The season is a marathon, not a sprint and come Round 22 this week will seem a distant memory. If you ever forget this remember how Essendon started and fell away last year.
It is still anyone’s game.
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