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AFL Round 2: The rollercoaster ride continues, with the Suns riding high

The Suns face the resurgent Saints on Saturday. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Roar Pro
5th April, 2016
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AFL football never ceases to amaze me! Just when you think you have a handle of where teams are situated, the whole thing gets turned on its head after one round.

There will be a host of very disappointed teams licking their wounds this week after some surprising results.

Let’s put a few clubs under the microscope after their Round 2 performances.

Brisbane Lions
Brisbane have a batch of young position players that are going to take time to find their feet at AFL level, so their opening two rounds, against West Coast and North Melbourne, were always going to be tough.

But positives can be taken from both games, firstly reaching the 100 points mark against last year’s runners up in Perth, then a committed Round 2 performance at home against last year’s preliminary finalists.

On the weekend the Lions had to make the most of any opportunities they got in front of goal if they were to cause an upset, but were left to rue a string of missed chances early in the second quarter. From there the Roos kicked six goals to two for the quarter and the result was decided.

Brisbane need all their best players on the field and playing well to have any chance of beating the top sides, which makes the calf injury sustained by captain Tom Rockliff on the weekend a bitter pill to swallow.

With midfielder Dayne Beams already on the sidelines, the injury to Rockliff means the Lions will be without their two best players for the next few matches.

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An insight into the problems these injuries create was seen against North, who identified Daniel Rich as the Lions’ most damaging midfielder and clamped down heavily on the classy left footer. Without the support of the experienced Rockliff and Beams, Rich struggled to cope with the tight North Melbourne tag.

This is a scenario Rich and the Lions have to overcome whether it means Rich goes to half back, deep forward or simply works harder and finds a way of beating the tag in the midfield, as all good onballers have had to do.

The tough start to the season continues for the Lions, having to tackle Geelong at Simmonds Stadium in Round 3.

With the Cats looking to rebound from an unexpected loss to Greater Western Sydney, the Lions will need all hands on deck if they are to prevent a blow-out.

North Melbourne
The Kangaroos started the season with two solid wins, but greater challengers will tell us more about where North sit in the 2016 premiership landscape.

The Roos have become the Tasmania of AFL football, a place where everyone goes to retire – and why not, the experienced players that North Melbourne are bringing in are taking their game to whole new levels.

Since crossing from Carlton, Jarrad Waite’s form has been nothing short of remarkable, and a little surprising. The impressive part of Waite’s game on the weekend was the 23 disposals he accumulated, a good example of how hard the key forward is working to provide an option for his teammates. The fact Waite, Brent Harvey and Daniel Wells were the Kangaroos’ best players on the weekend can be looked at two ways.

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The positive is that these experienced players are keeping such a high level of play, and setting the example for the younger players. The negative is that the success of the Kangaroos still heavily relies on the performances of the older guys, rather than the younger guys pushing through.

Next is a home game at Blundstone Arena against the Melbourne Demons. North have to make the most of this winnable games early in the season.

St Kilda
It’s hard to rate the Saints this year, their Round 1 loss to the Power looked encouraging, but they would have been disappointed with their Round 2 effort against the Bulldogs.

Playing the Dogs this year looks a tough assignment for any club, but for the Saints to only manage five goals for the game, and still rely on the tireless work of Nick Riewoldt to produce a lot of their scores, is disappointing.

The Saints are well aware of the burden Riewoldt carries and have taken steps to rectify this situation. The unexpected season-long suspension of new recruit Jake Carlisle, and the understandable long-term view of the development of Paddy McCartin are short-term hurdles St Kilda face. But the long-term picture looks promising, with Carlisle, McCartin and last year’s leading goal kicker Josh Bruce forming the foundation for a potent forward line in seasons to come.

A chance to play a big game at the MCG against Collingwood awaits the Saints in Round 3. After the rollercoaster early season form of the Magpies, it’s hard to measure the Saints’ chances. The minimum fans will expect is a committed, competitive effort.

Western Bulldogs
Is it a mirage, or is this the greatest challenger to the mighty Hawthorn juggernaut? The picture will become clearer after this Sunday’s blockbuster match against the two sides.

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Sometimes these blockbuster games don’t get the build-up they deserve, lost in the off-field dramas that often consume a lot of the media surrounding the AFL. Will the Bulldogs 2016 run-and-gun style stack up against the power and precision of the mighty Hawthorn team?

The Western Bulldogs are a ball-winning, running machine. Looking through the team that beat the Saints on the weekend, only Jordan Roughead, Easton Wood, Tom Boyd and Dale Morris play a taller, stationary role in the team, the rest of the side is made up of ball-gathering runners. It is an amazing team dynamic.

The Bulldogs play Russian roulette footy that is exciting to watch, but how will it cope against a Hawks side that pride themselves on being able to keep possession and deny the opposition?

In case you can’t tell, I cannot wait for this game.

Fremantle
How the mighty have fallen. I was very suspicious of a drop off from the ageing Fremantle side in 2016, but this early-season form is alarming to even me.

As calm as Ross Lyon seems, he will be churning inside. The scores given up by the Dockers in the first two rounds go against all the fundamental principles Lyon builds his teams around.

While there is still genuine talent in this side, and they will win enough games to be in the mix for the finals, the days of this particular Dockers side contending for the flag are numbered. The lack of young talent coming through to regenerate is a worry, and understandably the Dockers have poured all their resources – including their early draft picks – into trying to find the missing piece of the puzzle to win that elusive premiership.

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Similar to the Ross Lyon-coached St Kilda side, if the summit is not reached, it will be a quick and steep fall back down.

The match up between the two best players in the competition in Nat Fyfe and Gazza Ablett resulted in a points decision to Fyfe. Although Ablett’s performance was a contributing factor in his team’s win, Fyfe was exceptional. The one-man wrecking ball had 34 disposals and kicked three goals to be not only be clearly the Dockers’ best midfielder, but also their most dangerous forward.

The only thing Fyfe can possibly do to play any better is loosen his ‘man bun’ – that thing is pulled back so tight it looks like his head is going to explode.

A derby match against the West Coast Eagles is the perfect match to fire up the Dockers, but the Eagles possess one of the most dangerous attacks in the AFL. A special Lyon-inspired defensive effort is needed if the Dockers are to prevail.

Gold Coast
Finally they have arrived! What took you so long?

After the greatest win in the club’s history, it finally looks like the Suns are going to compete against the competition heavyweights.

A club that has been unable to show its true potential because of a spate of injuries over the last couple of years is finally getting some continuity.

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The fact Gold Coast are still missing two of their most promising midfielders, Jaeger O’Meara and David Swallow, is an indication of the talent they have at their disposal.

The early season form of young Tasmanian Aaron Hall has been breathtaking. In the first two rounds he has outshone the great Gary Ablett, but I am sure the little master won’t mind playing second fiddle if it means more wins.

Key forward monster Tom Lynch, who just signed a contract extension, is the real deal – this guy is already one of the best forwards in the competition, and his early-season form indicates he is ready to tear apart opposition clubs.

Jack Martin’s talents have been spruiked by the Suns for a couple of years, and on the weekend we got a taste of what all the fuss is about. Martin looks like a natural forward, his leading patterns and marking were first class, and he has an effortless kicking style that looks built to get lots of goals.

The next car in the way of the Gold Coast monster truck is the famous Carlton footy club. Mark it down as another crushing win for the Suns.

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