Footy is back with a bang, and while all the home sides got up in Round 1, there were still some upsets and unexpected results.

Richmond
Four points are about all Richmond can take out of their opening match.

With high expectations surrounding the yellow and black this year, many of the Tiger Army would have left the MCG on Thursday night a bit shellshocked and disappointed with their team’s performance.

The Richmond midfield had a bit of a reality check after they were soundly beaten by their Carlton opponents. The Tigers were caught out by the Blues’ quick and precise ball movement, which came as a surprise to not only Richmond, but fans watching the match.

The ruck position is a concern for the Tigers without Ivan Maric. Shaun Hampson struggled to affect the game, but with the ruck stocks at Tigerland pretty thin, Hampson has to improve his output until Maric comes back.

One of the highlights of any Tigers match is watching the defensive masterclass put on by Alex Rance – this man is simply on another level to any other key defender in the competition, and Richmond may well have lost if not for the backline blocker.

I am sure we will see a much improved Richmond side in the Round 2 Friday night blockbuster against a Collingwood side that will come out breathing fire after their Round 1 embarrassment.

Carlton
New coach Brendan Bolton’s influence on the team and his philosophy on what successful AFL looks like was evident very early in the game. His gameplan is obviously based upon the Hawthorn and Alastair Clarkson model, which comprises quick movement of the ball, precision kicking and a flexible and unpredictable forward line.

Bolton could not have asked for any more from his players – they were hard and tough for most of the night, and although they fell behind a couple of times on the scoreboard they kept coming right until the final siren.

Carlton’s midfield is their strength – Marc Murphy Bryce Gibbs and Patrick Cripps are the team’s three best players, and led the way. All three would have been in the top five players on the ground, which makes it hard to understand how Carlton lost.

Special mention has to be made of Patty Cripps, this kid is going to be a superstar. His strength in the stoppages is something to behold and he will give Carlton fans a lot to brag about in years to come.

While their Round 1 performance was surprising, and may have lifted fans’ expectations, the reality is the Blues are going to struggle to win games this year and will have some bad losses against the top teams. But the success of this season will not be measured on wins and losses but on player development and consistent performances like the one they produced in Round 1.

Melbourne
The Demons’ last quarter was a perfect example of everything that is special about AFL football. You couldn’t help but be swept away by the emotion of the Melbourne players and supporters as they sensed a victory. The energy coming from the long-suffering Demons supporters in that pulsating last quarter could be felt through the television screen. It was sports entertainment at its best.

The reaction and emotion from Paul Roos and the other coaches in the Melbourne box was an insight into how much hard work has gone into this team. Progress is the most important factor when building anything in life, it keeps everyone motivated with the belief that things are moving in the right direction and justifies the actions and decisions made to get to that point. And the Demons’ progress cannot be denied.

Despite being three goals down going into the last quarter against a talented Giants side, the Melbourne players’ belief was never shaken, they simply raised their game to another level and ran over the top of the helpless Giants.

After being well beaten in the first three quarters, Jesse Hogan exploded in the last quarter to kick three goals and lead his team to victory. The Melbourne hierarchy have to do whatever it takes to keep this young superstar at the club long term.

Nathan Jones and Jack Viney are two of the most hard-working and consistent midfielders in the competition, and again did the majority of the grunt work in the middle of the ground. Jack Watts has always been a hot topic for Melbourne fans but his performances seem to be elevating with an improving team being built around him.

Melbourne go into Round 2 against Essendon as favourites, something they are unaccustomed to. It will be another test of their progress to go out and professionally get the job done.

Greater Western Sydney
Disappointing would be the nicest way to describe the Giants’ first-up performance. For a team that is looking to elevate itself into the top eight sides in the competition, this was a real body blow.

While the Giants kicking 18 behinds was a big reason why they lost the game, the fact is they simply had to find away to beat the Demons. Not afforded many opportunities to play at the MCG, this was a great chance to get a rare win at the home of footy. The fact the Giants were the better side for the majority of the game and played some really good football for the first three quarters makes the loss even harder to take.

James Stewart and Adam Tomlinson had a big opportunity to cement a spot in the Giants side, with Jonathon Patton and Jeremy Cameron out, but both were disappointing and will need to improve their performances if they are to stay in the side when the two young stars come back in. Callan Ward is at the peak of his powers and was probably best on ground, he really epitomises the way a captain should play.

Other encouraging signs for the Giants was young defender Caleb Marchbank, who for three quarters helped control the Demons forwards. Rory Lobb looked dangerous up forward, but let himself and the team down with his kicking for goal. The old magician Steve Johnson still has a few tricks in his bag, and if he keeps that standard of play up for the whole year it will be a huge bonus for the Giants.

Another interesting player for GWS is Tom Scully, the hard-running midfielder is starting to get some consistency, and while he may not be the superstar expected from a number one pick, he could still be a vital cog in the Giants midfield.

The fight for four points gets harder for the Giants with a Round 2 clash against the Geelong Cats.

Gold Coast
In a clinical and professional performance, Gold Coast did what GWS failed to do – win a game they were expected to.

For the multitude of teams that will be battling for a place in the eight, the percentage gained in games against Essendon will be vital. We will have to wait until later in the season to see if a ten-goal win against the Bombers is a pass mark or not.

When the Gold Coast have a reasonably injury-free list from which to pick their team, you start to get an idea of the talent this club has at their disposal. After having last season ruined by injury, the Gary Ablett show has resumed normal broadcasting, and the Little Master is looking to reclaim his mantle as the number one player in the game.

An example of the talent the Suns have is that even after losing a player like Charlie Dixon at the end of last year, they still have two of the most promising key forwards in the competition in Tom Lynch and Sam Day. Lynch and Day combined for six goals against the Bombers and provided a great target for the talented Gold Coast midfield to kick to.

Aaron Hall accomplished one of the hardest feats in football, taking the best-on-ground honour away from Ablett. The Young Suns midfielder has taken his game to a level that few could have predicted, his Round 1 game of 36 possessions and two goals was a continuation of the form that he produced at the end of last season.

Round 2 for the Suns is a date with the Fremantle Dockers at Subiaco oval. After a poor opening game the Dockers will be licking their wounds and looking to unleash some pain and frustration. What a great early season challenge for the Suns.

Essendon
The Bombers’ effort couldn’t be questioned, but as will happen many times throughout this season, they were simply overwhelmed by a more experienced and talented side.

The challenges that face the Bombers this year are obvious and well documented, but there is still plenty that can be achieved. The number one objective for new coach John Worsfold is the development of their young players.

Darcy Parish was one of the first young Dons to put his hand up, after a 25-possesion debut game that was full of class and would have delighted fans. Zach Merrett looks to be relishing his extra time in the midfield, with 31 possessions, and David Zaharakis has assumed the mantle of Essendon’s midfield leader after a hard running game that included a couple of hard-earned goals.

Apart from Joe Daniher, the Bombers really lack quality tall forward options who can kick multiple goals in a game, which places added pressure on their midfielders and small forwards to generate opportunities.

The form of the Essendon top-up players has to be closely monitored, with the games of Ryan Crowley and Jonathon Simpkin well below par. These experienced campaigners need to be among the top contributors each week for the Bombers, otherwise all they are doing is robbing valuable game time from young players. While the top-up players add valuable leadership and experience, a 13-possession game from a young Bombers player is of more value to the future of club than a 13 possession game from Crowley, who won’t be at the club next year.

It is a fine line the Bombers will have to deal with all year between being competitive and doing what’s best for the future of the club. While no games this year are going to be easy, the Bombers would expect to be competitive against the Demons this weekend.

Sydney
Wow! I don’t think even the most fanatical Swans supporters could have predicted that performance.

From the opening bounce, Sydney systematically dismantled Collingwood. They harassed and suffocated the Magpies until they couldn’t breathe and in the end Collingwood were lucky to escape with an 80-point loss, such was the Swans dominance.

It’s hard to judge a team after one performance but the Swans looked like a different team to recent years. They were quick around the ground and unpredictable in the forward line.

Sydney played three first gamers in the match, which in itself is unusual, but they all added a real spark and excitement to the side. Tom Papley came from the clouds to kick three goals in his first game and looks to be a genuine small forward who creates pressure and kicks goals, a position the Swans have lacked for several seasons.

Another first gamer, Callum Mills, filled the important position of ball distributor off half back. Although in years to come Mills will be transitioned into the midfield, his ball use off half back will be key to the Swans’ success this year.

Although Sydney have been a ultra-consistent team that win a lot of home-and-away games, they have really struggled in recent years to threaten the best teams, and a big reason for that is their lack of pace – whether it be genuine leg speed or just speed of ball movement. The Swans also have a lot of very good players but few elite kicks. So with the additions of Papley and Mills to the side it looks like coach John Longmire has gone about rectifying deficiencies, and although it’s only been one game it looks like he is on the right track.

Of course the big story from the game was the performance of Buddy Franklin, who although hampered with a shoulder injury still lit up the SCG with a vintage Buddy performance.

Playing as the Swans number one ruckman, Kurt Tippett had 32 hitouts and played with an aggression rarely seen from the big man. Tippett’s ruck work was a major factor in Sydney’s domination of the centre square clearances.

Clearly best on ground was Swans midfield dynamo Luke Parker, who had 40 hard-earned positions. Although the AFL is blessed with so many great midfielders at the moment, Luke Parker’s name has to be put up near the top of the list.

Next up for the Swans is a trip to Etihad stadium to play Carlton, in a game they would be confident of winning in front of all the old Bloods fans.

Collingwood
This was like an episode of The Twilight Zone where a team of highly talented footballers suddenly lost their ability to play, as if they had a curse and everything that could go wrong did go wrong. The Magpies were ambushed from the opening bounce and never recovered.

It’s hard to know what happened or where to start but perhaps the best place would be the ruck. I am not sure if the fact that Travis Cloke played a lot of the second-half in the ruck was punishment for his first-half performance, or had more to do with the output Jarrod Witts was giving. Either way, putting Cloke in the ruck really didn’t help him get into the game or help his team get any ascendancy in the middle of the ground.

While Cloke’s first-half performance was well below what the Magpies expect, it wasn’t a surprise, as his teammates struggled to get the ball forward and when they did the delivery was very poor.

Brodie Grundy is a capable young ruckman and would have to be in contention for next week. The American rookie Mason Cox looked to show good signs in the NAB cup and could add some size and athleticism to the Magpies line up.

The injury to Dane Swan topped off a bad night for the Magpies and was hard to watch for any footy fan. Swanny is one of the most liked and respected footballers in the competition and everyone will be hoping he gets back out on the park soon.

The only good news out of the game for Collingwood was the performance of Adam Treloar – the former Giant is a jet and his acceleration out of congestion is straight out of the Chris Judd handbook.

Now the work starts for Nathan Buckley, who will quickly have to find answers as to why so many professional and proven midfield performers had poor nights. But this midfield group is too talented not to bounce back, so it’s not panic stations yet – just a rude wake-up call.

A Friday night blockbuster against Richmond awaits the Pies in Round 2.