2017 AFL season: Round 2 preview

With Round 1 well and truly behind us, focus turns to Round 2 of the 2017 AFL season, with a huge Victorian rivalry, the grand final rematch and the battle of the Scott brothers to highlight the round.

Richmond and Collingwood kick off proceedings tomorrow night, with the Tigers looking to avenge last year’s heartbreaking defeat which ultimately set them up for failure in 2016.

The following night, the Western Bulldogs and Sydney Swans lock horns for the first time since last year’s grand final, in which the men from Footscray broke a 62-year premiership drought with an emotional 22-point victory.

Elsewhere, the GWS Giants will be out to bounce back after their humiliating defeat to the Crows in Adelaide, while one of last year’s two worst-performed teams, the Brisbane Lions and Essendon, will have the opportunity to start the season 2-0.

Here is your full guide to Round 2.

Richmond versus Collingwood
After their respective poor seasons last year, the blowtorch has been directed at both Damien Hardwick and Nathan Buckley this season, with both coaches under pressure to return their sides to September.

It was in this corresponding match last year when the Pies inflicted a lot of pain on the Tigers when Brodie Grundy kicked the match-winning goal with merely seconds left on the clock.

That loss set the precedence for a poor season for the men from Punt Road, in which they crashed to 13th place with just eight wins; the Pies finished just above them in 12th place with nine wins.

Now to the present, and the debate over Dustin Martin’s future will be a huge talking point throughout the season with one of this year’s Brownlow Medal favourites to come out of contract at year’s end.

It didn’t seem to affect the man himself as he submitted a best-on-ground display in the Tigers’ win over Carlton last week.

Stopping him will be key to Collingwood winning this Thursday night.

The Pies were far from disgraced in their 14-point loss to the Western Bulldogs, with captain Scott Pendlebury, Steele Sidebottom and Adam Treloar among their best players.

However, the behaviour of their fans towards Travis Cloke was a major point of discussion to come out of that match.

Enough of that, and onto Thursday night and what promises to be another beauty between two of the biggest clubs in the AFL.

Prediction: Richmond by eight points.

Western Bulldogs versus Sydney Swans
Following their shock opening round defeat to Port Adelaide and with another big name joining the growing injury list, the Sydney Swans’ resilience is set to be tested during the week.

That’s according to coach John Longmire, who lost two more players to injury after Dane Rampe suffered a freak arm injury at training on Monday in addition to Dan Robinson going down with a shoulder injury against the Power last Saturday night.

It’s the last thing the Swans would want as they head south to Melbourne for the grand final rematch against the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium on Friday night.

While the Swans have lost their last three meetings against the Bulldogs, their recent record at Docklands is strong, having not lost at the venue since mid-2012 when a loss to St Kilda provided a turning point to the club’s premiership run that year.

Further, they have won all three of their previous meetings against the Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium, the most recent in Round 22, 2014.

As for Luke Beveridge’s men, they will face a challenge of their own with premiership defender Dale Morris to be sidelined for an extended period after suffering an ankle injury in the final seconds of their win over Collingwood last Friday night.

The grand final rematch could feature a shootout between Travis Cloke and Lance Franklin, with the former keen to build on a modest debut for the Bulldogs in which he kicked a vital goal in the opening quarter.

Of course, the Bulldogs won by 22 points to break a 62-year premiership drought, and while they’ll be keen to repeat the dose on the Swans, they’ll be aware of an injury-ravaged side out for revenge for their shock defeat.

Prediction: Western Bulldogs by 22 points.

Hawthorn versus Adelaide Crows
Just when you thought you could easily predict a winner for this clash, suddenly things have become interesting following last round’s results.

A new-look Hawthorn side, which did not field all of Luke Hodge, Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis for the first time since 2002, went down to a revitalised Essendon side by 25 points last week.

The Crows, on the other hand, defied injuries to key players to put the GWS Giants to the sword, winning by 56 points at the Adelaide Oval and in the process stealing the tag of premiership favourites from them (for now).

Both sides will get key players back with Hodge to return for the Hawks after he missed the loss to the Bombers due to an internal suspension, while Taylor Walker returns for the Crows after he was a late withdrawal last week.

Such is the interest in this match, that many within the Crows hierarchy believe they have a chance against the Hawks, whom they have not beaten since 2011 and not outside of South Australia since 2009.

The corresponding match last year saw the Hawks escape with a three-point win after Paul Puopolo kicked the match winning goal in the final minute, but not before they nearly gave away a potentially game-losing free kick in the final seconds.

Alastair Clarkson’s men resemble somewhat of a different-looking side this time around, while the Crows have retained the attacking prowess which was a highlight of their 2016 season.

A loss for the Hawks would see them drop to 0-2 for the first time since 2009, so they’ll be keen to avoid that. However, I can’t go past the Crows given their impressive performance against the Giants last week.

Prediction: Adelaide Crows by six points.

GWS Giants versus Gold Coast Suns
For all the hype surrounding the GWS Giants in the pre-season, last Sunday’s 56-point thumping by the Adelaide Crows at the Oval may have come as the rude awakening they needed.

Sure, they started well like many expected they would, but a reduced rotation brought about by Tendai Mzungu’s hamstring injury (which has sidelined him for up to three months) and the unrelenting heat all contributed to their downfall in the second half.

Now it remains to be seen how they will respond when they host the Gold Coast Suns in a rare early-season appearance at Spotless Stadium, with the ground’s required use by the Sydney Royal Easter Show meaning the Giants will be forced on the road for more than a month after this weekend.

Under coach Leon Cameron, the club has shown the ability and resilience to hit back hard following heavy defeats, like they did twice in 2015 after losing to West Coast and Sydney by 87 and 89 points respectively.

It’s likely that after last week’s disappointing result, the Giants will emerge an angry side on Saturday night and this will have the Suns on red alert in what will be their only meeting for the season.

Rodney Eade’s men were left to rue a dismal opening quarter after they went down by just two points to the Brisbane Lions at home last week.

After being down by 46 points at half-time they fell short of what would have been the biggest comeback in their history, eclipsing when they came from 40 points down to defeat Port Adelaide by two points in round 5, 2011.

Given last week’s results, this is the only match that will pit two winless teams against each other, and both will be desperate to get on the board for the 2017 season.

Not only will it be hard backing against the Giants at home; the Suns have also never taken the points from three previous trips to the Harbour City.

Prediction: GWS Giants by 22 points.

Brisbane Lions versus Essendon
One of last year’s two worst-performed teams, the Brisbane Lions and Essendon, will have the chance to start their season 2-0 when they face off at the Gabba this Saturday night.

The Lions, under new coach Chris Fagan, appeared a shadow of the side that were constantly uncompetitive last year when they kicked the first seven goals of the match against the Gold Coast Suns last Saturday night.

After they had led by 46 points at half-time, they had to withstand a ferocious second half from their M1 rivals before eventually holding on to win by two points.

It marked a good start to the Fagan era, the former Hawthorn assistant having taken over from Justin Leppitsch who was sacked last August after three dismal seasons in charge of the club.

They will fancy their chances at home this Saturday night against Essendon, who celebrated the return of their stars from doping suspensions with a 25-point win against Hawthorn at the MCG.

The Bombers, free of the drama that dogged their last four years, played with a newfound freedom which allowed them to pull off the upset victory over the powerhouse side of this decade.

John Worsfold’s men will have the incentive to win consecutive matches for the first time in nearly two seasons – Brent Stanton will bring up his 250th game after having his milestone delayed by the season-long doping suspension which rubbed him and eleven of his teammates out of 2016.

Further, the Bombers haven’t been beaten at the Gabba since 2009, but this will be just their third trip to the sunshine capital since. Additionally, the club hasn’t won an interstate match since mid-2014, but I think they can get the job done on the road.

Prediction: Essendon by 20 points.

West Coast Eagles versus St Kilda
On the back of an impressive 43-point win over North Melbourne on the road last week, the West Coast Eagles return home for their first outing in front of their fans this Saturday night when they play host to St Kilda.

On the back of 38 disposals from Sam Mitchell and seven goals from Josh Kennedy, the Eagles proved that it was a case of “no Nic Nat, no worries”, as they set about righting the wrongs of last season.

But they will be without rookie-listed Drew Petrie after he suffered a hand injury in the opening quarter, which has ruled him out for up to ten weeks. This will throw open the opportunity for Jonathan Giles to return to the side.

Adam Simpson’s men will again start favourites this weekend against a St Kilda side which, apart from a strong opening quarter, were nothing but poor in its 30-point loss to Melbourne last Saturday night.

Add to that a dismal interstate record, and the fact they’ll be without former captain Nick Riewoldt for at least a week due to a knee injury, and a long night could potentially loom for Alan Richardson’s men.

Their recent record in Perth is also very poor, having lost on each of their past two trips west by a combined total of 198 points, including by 103 points in Round 8 last season.

If past history is anything to go by, then the Eagles should romp home in this one.

Prediction: West Coast Eagles by 40 points.

Geelong Cats versus North Melbourne
The first match on Sunday afternoon sees the Scott brothers face off when the Geelong Cats host North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.

The Cats, the only Victorian side that had to travel interstate in Round 1, made a mockery of what was supposed to be a potentially tricky road trip by defeating Fremantle by 42 points at Domain Stadium last week.

The win was again highlighted by a best-on-ground performance by reigning Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield, who clearly took the points in his duel with his predecessor as the AFL’s best and fairest player, Nat Fyfe.

Now they come up against a North Melbourne side that has been tipped by many to fall down the ladder in 2017.

The Roos were no match for the West Coast Eagles at home last week, and many have forecast not only a long season ahead, but potentially many years at the foot of the standings ahead as the club sets about rebuilding their playing list following the departure of many of their experienced stars.

If anything, then the long-term pain could continue for the Roos, while for the Cats it will be all about building towards a premiership in the time that Dangerfield is at the club.

Prediction: Geelong Cats by 32 points.

Melbourne versus Carlton
If Melbourne is to start a season 2-0 for the first time since 2005, then they must learn the lessons of last year’s mistakes and not underestimate their opposition, no matter how good or bad they may be.

Most specifically, it was their losses to Essendon, St Kilda (twice) and Carlton last year which indirectly cost the Dees their first finals berth since 2006 and left fans continually frustrated at the rate of their inconsistency.

But as always, a new season brings new hope and for the club it came in an impressive 30-point win over St Kilda at Etihad Stadium last week.

The comeback win, which came after they trailed by 23 points at quarter-time, was marshaled by new recruit Jordan Lewis, as well as second-year player Clayton Oliver and reigning All-Australian ruckman Max Gawn.

Their midfield, once branded the worst in the AFL, will be key to beating Carlton at the MCG this Sunday.

Another long season has been forecast for the Blues but don’t let their losing margin of 43 points against Richmond fool you for one bit.

At one point they trailed by 44 points in the second quarter but whittled it down to 25 points as they looked to make a contest of it, before their hard work became undone in the final quarter.

A highlight of their match against the Tigers was the surprise presence up front of defender Jacob Weitering, who kicked three goals and whom coach Brendon Bolton has hinted that he will be used around the ground regularly.

Recent history also favours the Navy Blue, who have won nine of their last ten matches against Melbourne, with the only blot coming in 2014. However, while the Dees will start favourites here, it remains to be seen whether they can justify it.

Prediction: Melbourne by 28 points.

Port Adelaide versus Fremantle
The final match of Round 2 sees a revitalised Port Adelaide host Fremantle in their first home game for the season off the back of an impressive upset victory over the Sydney Swans at the SCG.

Ken Hinkley’s men defied a poor recent record against the Swans and at the SCG to post a morale-boosting 28-point victory to start their 2017 season, the win highlighted by two goals from debutant and Rising Star nominee Sam Powell-Pepper.

It was also captain Travis Boak’s 200th game, making the win all the more significant, and it could be the first of what many Port Adelaide supporters hope is a lot as they seek a return to September in 2017.

On the other hand, a new-look Fremantle were no match for the Geelong Cats at home as they lost by 42 points.

New captain Nat Fyfe, in his return from a leg injury which wiped out all but the first five rounds of last year, emerged from that match unscathed but was clearly outplayed by reigning Brownlow Medallist Patrick Dangerfield.

Their poor performance will do nothing to suggest that they can upset a Port Adelaide side high on morale; in fact, the Dockers are none from two against the Power at the Oval with the losses coming in 2014 and 2015.

Another loss for the Dockers and Ross Lyon might be feeling the pressure for another week; conversely, another win for the Power will only increase their confidence going forward.

Prediction: Port Adelaide by 25 points.