The danger of a single round of football played over 10 days instead of the usual three is it gives sportswriters the chance to make broad, sweeping statements that would normally never be published.
But without getting carried away (and making firm predictions that will make me look foolish later on) last weekend was remarkable for a number of reasons. It marked the first time that the new kids on the block, the Suns and Giants, got to sing their song on the same weekend.
As happy as that made their supporters, the flipside was undoubtedly the fans of the Swans and Tigers wondering, “What the hell happened there?”
So based on a half round of football, here are a few reasons to either get excited or strap-in for a less than stellar year, depending on who you support.
Swans falling…
After a top-four finish without the services of a premier goal kicker for most of the year, many saw Lance Franklin alongside Kurt Tippett as the final piece of the puzzle.
However in his first game for the Swans, Franklin looked unsettled and disjointed, and the star full forward put a paltry 1.1 on the scoreboard.
Admittedly, Tippett was on the sidelines injured, but if the game’s premier tall forward can’t make the most of being the only one at the buffet table, it doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season.
More of a concern for coach John Longmire were losses in key indicators that usually display the revered ‘Bloods Culture’. Being beaten in tackles and contested possessions won’t often win games, but it’s almost unheard of at the Swans.
…or Greater Western Sydney rising?
Seriously though, who saw that coming? The Swans were most tipsters’ pick for ‘lock’ of the round, and the anchor leg for a lot of multi-bets.
But the Giants from the West got a win in the terribly named ‘Battle for the Bridge’ two or three years earlier than any one expected.
Being ahead of schedule seems to be a theme with this team. If you put the playing group in another guernsey, they don’t look like a team of kids maturing into their bodies. They look like a formidable, established football team.
And they played like it too. Once in front of the Swans in the last quarter, they went from having their noses in front to putting their foots on the throat of the opposition in the blink of an eye.
With games coming up against St Kilda, the Demons and the Bulldogs, there’s every chance the Giants could be looking down at the rest of the competition from the top of the ladder by the end of Round 4.
Richmond underperforming…
Much like the Swans, 2014 is supposed to be the year it all clicks for the boys from Punt Road. But on the evidence of the first four quarters of the year, an improvement on the fifth-place finish of last year doesn’t look as likely as it did on March 14.
The Suns held a comfortable three to four-goal buffer for most of the night and, frustratingly for their fans and coaches, looked lethargic and slow compared to their northern opponents.
It’s often Jack Riewoldt’s attitude that draws attention, but during the first game of the season, the rest of the team certainly left themselves open to questions about their motivation levels.
… or the Suns delivering?
The Suns haven’t been the easybeats of the competition for a while, but a top-five team from last year was expected to finish over the top of them without too much trouble.
Instead, the team that finished last season with only three wins for the second half of the year (two of them over the Demons and Giants) came out and played with some real determination and grit.
More importantly, they did it with only two players on the bench after the disappointing injury to Jack Martin in the first quarter.
Even more impressive was the fact this occurred in the energy-sapping humidity of Queensland in March, where a handicap on the bench will normally multiply out to an insurmountable disadvantage.
The Suns might have taken a step to answering those critics who say they sometimes play like a team that expects to win, rather than one that’s willing to fight through adversity to get one.
You could argue any of these theories either way, so if you agree or disagree with anything above, make your case in the comments below.
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