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Round 2 again starts on Thursday night with the champions all likely to be on display.
None of the nine current elite AFL top 100 game players look likely to miss this week with Lance Franklin the only one subject to a fitness test, and the four potential season 2019 new members (Heath Shaw, Scott Pendlebury, Jarryd Roughead and Joel Selwood) all seem certain to play as well.
Over 12,700 players have now graced the AFL/VFL arena, and to be in the top 0.78 per cent of these is a tribute not only to the player’s ability and fitness, but also to his courage and tenacity to play at the highest level despite the niggling injuries that most older champions endure.
Game 1 of the Round is a repeat of the 2018 preliminary final between Richmond and Collingwood. Richmond will see them coming this time and – on last week’s form – should be winners.
Collingwood captain Scott Pendlebury is the only potential (or current) top 100 game player on the paddock but his silky skills are always worth watching.
At a club level, Jack Riewoldt will this week draw level with one of the greatest and most celebrated characters in Australian Football, Kevin Sheedy, in 13th place on the Tigers’ most games played list.
Sheedy, a tough back pocket and utility player during his 13 years at Richmond, moved on to coach Essendon and his innovation and farsightedness changed the way the game is played forever.
He won three premierships as a player at Richmond and four as a coach at Essendon. He spent the last two years of his 47 years in football coaching the fledgeling Greater Western Sydney.
Another top 20 player at the Tigers, Shane Edwards (who wears the number 10 jumper made famous by Sheedy) will move up to share 19th place with ruckman Mark Lee.
Lee, originally recruited from Mildura was known as “The General” and his presence on the ground was immense, forming a great combination with rover Dale “The flea” Weightman.
If Dylan Grimes makes the team he will move up the list rapidly, passing Percy Maybury, Max Hislop and Jack Baggott and draw level with Brad Ottens. Ottens holds the unique honour of being the 1000th player to play for Richmond and the 1000th player to play for the Cats, and is currently number 85 on the games played list at Richmond.
At Collingwood, Steele Sidebottom continues to enhance his champion status by this week passing Macarthur recruit Billy Picken who served the Magpies well between 1974 and 1986 despite a two-year hiatus in Sydney.
Picken won the Best and Fairest in 1978 and 1983 and finished third in the 1977 Brownlow Medal. A great mark, he won Mark of the Year in 1974 in John Greening’s comeback game against Richmond.
Sidebottom’s 213th game will draw him level with Ross “Twiggy” Dunne – a teammate of Billy Picken best remembered for holding his nerve, marking and then kicking the goal that resulted in the 1977 grand final between Collingwood and North Melbourne being drawn.
The Kangaroos won the subsequent replay and denied Dunne (and Picken) the honour of every winning a premiership.
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