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Opinion
Welcome back to another year of Team of the Week!
After a superb opening round to the 2021 season, let’s take a look at the 22 players who stood tall over the weekend, plus a few others who just missed out.
Back pocket: Dougal Howard (St Kilda)
He was constantly thwarting attacking forays from GWS on Sunday in Sydney. Howards had a whopping 14 spoils for the afternoon, gaining a valuable 543 metres from 17 disposals at 82 per cent efficiency.
Fullback: Steven May (Melbourne)
He started the season superbly on Saturday afternoon against Fremantle, taking five intercept marks from his eight grabs in total and getting his fist to the ball on four occasions. May was an offensive threat as well, collecting 24 touches and gaining 578 metres.
Back pocket: Darcy Moore (Collingwood)
He gave his all in a tough loss to the Western Bulldogs on Friday night, winning 18 touches at an impressive 94 per cent efficiency and making seven spoils. Moore took 12 grabs for the night, eight of them intercepts.
Halfback: Will Day (Hawthorn)
His star will continue to rise in 2021 if Saturday night’s performance is anything to go by. The second-year defender had 28 possessions, 536 metres gained, three tackles and eight marks, five of them intercepts, in a sparkling display.
Centre halfback: Jordon Butts (Adelaide)
It appeared a startling mismatch on paper, with the two-game defender lining up on the reigning Coleman medallist Tom Hawkins. However, the young Crow put his name up in lights, keeping Hawkins to just two goals and little impact on the match, making seven spoils and taking three grabs of his own.
Halfback: Bailey Williams (Western Bulldogs)
The underrated Dog defender was at his damaging best on Friday night, gaining 550 metres from his 27 disposals at 81 per cent efficiency, while he took seven grabs and laid four tackles.
Steven May. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos)
Wing: Tim Kelly (West Coast)
A noticeably trimmer Kelly starred in West Coast’s hard-fought win over Gold Coast on Sunday evening. The former Cat racked up 28 touches, gaining 592 metres along the way. He had an impressive 13 score involvements, while he laid three tackles and took seven marks.
Centre: Callum Mills (Sydney)
Has always been destined to make a full-time move into the midfield, and 2021 might be the year we see Mills take his game to the next level. Starred in the upset win over Brisbane on Saturday night, collecting 29 possessions at 86 per cent efficiency, taking eight grabs, laying three tackles and booting two goals.
Wing: Andrew McGrath (Essendon)
Speaking of moves into the midfield, McGrath displayed all the traits of a superstar midfielder on Saturday night against Hawthorn. The former No. 1 draft pick amassed 33 possessions, gaining 475 metres while laying a huge 11 tackles. He also got forward to have eight score involvements, including a goal of his own.
Tim Kelly (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Half-forward: Tim Membrey (St Kilda)
On a day not typically suited to bigger forwards, Membrey was pivotal to St Kilda’s gritty win over the Giants on Sunday. He did plenty of work up the field, collecting 21 touches at 81 per cent efficiency while gaining 586 metres. He took seven grabs, kicking three goals from five score involvements.
Centre half-forward: Taylor Walker (Adelaide)
He turned back the clock five years with a vintage performance in front of an adoring home crowd on Saturday against the Cats. Tex had 18 touches and took seven marks, four of them inside 50, finishing with five majors and a whopping 12 score involvements.
Half-forward: Dustin Martin (Richmond)
He appears to have done the impossible and risen to another level in 2021, which is a scary prospect for 17 opposition clubs. Dusty tore apart the Blues in the season opener, winning 31 touches, gaining 619 metres, taking seven grabs, five of them inside 50, laying four tackles and kicking two goals from a monster 12 score involvements.
Forward pocket: Orazio Fantasia (Port Adelaide)
In his first game in the new colours the former Bomber enjoyed feasting out on a youthful North Melbourne side on Sunday. He finished with a damaging yet wasteful 4.4 from 12 score involvements.
Full-forward: Oscar Allen (West Coast)
One of the brightest young prospects across the competition showed exactly why on Sunday against the Suns, kicking four goals from 13 touches and nine grabs.
Forward pocket: Jack Riewoldt (Richmond)
He played the season opener like he was 22 instead of 32, finishing with ten touches, four marks, three of them inside 50, and five tackles. He also had a scoreboard impact with four majors.
Dustin Martin (Adam Trafford/AFL Media/Getty Images)
Ruckman: Tom Hickey (Sydney)
The journeyman starred in his opening game for his fourth club, collecting 23 disposals, 14 of them contested, winning nine clearances, gaining 400 metres and winning 24 hitouts in an upset win over Brisbane.
Ruck-rover: Travis Boak (Port Adelaide)
The former Port skipper was humming on Sunday against North Melbourne, winning 26 possessions, 13 of them contested, seven clearances and kicking two goals from 12 score involvements in the opening three quarters. He sat out majority of the final quarter with a corkie but still gets a spot in the team given how damaging he was.
Rover: Bailey Smith (Western Bulldogs)
He was simply awesome in Friday night’s win over the Magpies, winning 36 possessions at 75 per cent efficiency, gaining 526 metres, taking eight marks and laying three tackles. To add to that, he kicked two goals from seven scoreboard impacts. He is close to overtaking the Bont as the Bulldogs’ best midfielder.
Travis Boak (Photo by Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images)
Interchange: Jack Graham (Richmond)
He enjoyed a career-best night in the season opener against Carlton, finishing with 33 touches and an incredible 836 metres gained. Another example of Richmond’s midfield batting deep.
Interchange: Errol Gulden (Sydney)
Probably the lesser-known product of Sydney’s three debutants going into Saturday night’s match against the Lions, by the end of the night he was the name on everyone’s lips. Gulden was superb with 19 touches, 459 metres gained, ten marks, three goals and nine score involvements. You can’t ask for much more from a first gamer.
Interchange: Jack Bowes (Gold Coast)
The young leader at the Suns enjoyed the wide expanses of Optus Stadium on Sunday against the Eagles, gaining 607 metres from his 30 disposals and hauling in 14 grabs. Amazingly, he used the ball perfectly for the entire match, finishing with 100 per cent efficiency.
Interchange: Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn)
He helped ignite the Hawks after they trailed by 39 points at halftime, leading them to a come-from-behind victory over Essendon at Marvel. The Brownlow Medallist finished with 39 disposals, 14 of them contested, nine score involvements and five tackles.
Tom Mitchell. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images)
Emergency: Matt Flynn (Greater Western Sydney)
The 1944-day wait appeared worth it for Flynn, who starred in his much-publicised debut. He won the ruck battle against fellow debutant Paul Hunter, collecting 18 disposals, taking six grabs, winning five clearances and getting 34 hitouts.
Emergency: Jack Billings (St Kilda)
He showed plenty of class in the Saints’ impressive win against the Giants, winning 30 possessions, taking five marks and kicking a goal in wet conditions.
Emergency: Jaidyn Stephenson (North Melbourne)
He was one of three former Magpies playing their first match for a new club this weekend, and Stephenson’s performance was the pick of the bunch. In a big loss to Port, the former Rising Star winner had a career-best 33 touches, gaining 541 metres, taking five grabs and laying seven tackles for the Roos.
Emergency: Dylan Moore (Hawthorn)
The young Hawk provided plenty of energy in his side’s comeback win over the Bombers on Saturday night. He finished with three majors from 19 disposals, three marks and three tackles.
FB: Dougal Howard (St Kilda), Steven May (Melbourne), Darcy Moore (Collingwood)
HB: Will Day (Hawthorn), Jordon Butts (Adelaide), Bailey Williams (Western Bulldogs)
C: Tim Kelly (West Coast), Callum Mills (Sydney), Andrew McGrath (Essendon)
HF: Tim Membrey (St Kilda), Taylor Walker (Adelaide), Dustin Martin (Richmond)
FF: Orazio Fantasia (Port Adelaide), Oscar Allen (West Coast), Jack Riewoldt (Richmond)
R: Tom Hickey (Sydney), Travis Boak (Port Adelaide), Bailey Smith (Western Bulldogs)
IC: Jack Graham (Richmond), Errol Gulden (Sydney), Jack Bowes (Gold Coast), Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn)
EMG: Matt Flynn (Greater Western Sydney), Jack Billings (St Kilda), Jaidyn Stephenson (North Melbourne), Dylan Moore (Hawthorn)
Adelaide: Butts, Walker
Brisbane: Nil
Carlton: Nil
Collingwood: Moore
Essendon: McGrath
Fremantle: Nil
Geelong: Nil
Gold Coast: Bowes
Greater Western Sydney: Nil
Hawthorn: Day, Mitchell
Melbourne: May
North Melbourne: Nil
Port Adelaide: Boak, Fantasia
Richmond: Martin, Riewoldt, Graham
St Kilda: Howard, Membrey
Sydney: Mills, Hickey, Gulden
West Coast: Kelly, Allen
Western Bulldogs: Williams, Smith
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