Footy is well and truly thriving, with a record attendance for Round 1 broken, a feel for what’s to come in 2024.
The two Grand Finalists have added their names to a new stat in history, ten new teams took centre stage, and the pressure is already on for a few coaches.
We’ve put together a five-leg multi of hindsight in a little package we like to call 5 Lessons Learned.
1. Collingwood set the trend and Carlton followed.
Most expected the Blues to have a 10-minute burst that would put the Tigers away at some point, but it took every second to decide a winner at the MCG.
The Tigers were battled with injury as the game progressed, and after a poor Opening Round outing, they’ve at least earned some respect back.
The Blues got up in another thriller, winning their sixth game in a row by six points or under, not great for the heart rate if you’re a Bagger.
It was the Pies who set that trend in 2022, continuing into 2023 where it came in clutch in their Grand Final win.
It also wasn’t too long ago when the Pies beat the Blues by a point to send them out of the eight in 2023, and the Blues have learned their lesson since then.
2-0 to start their season and heading into a bye, the Blues will probably hope that their Good Friday Showdown against North Melbourne will be a little more smooth sailing.
2. History has been made and it’s not good history for the two Grand Finalists.
The premiership defence isn’t looking all too well for the Pies.
Early days, but two convincing losses to two teams they’d most likely have to go through to make it two in a row would start the alarm bells ringing at Olympic Park.
The Swans put the Pies to the sword on Friday night, punishing them on turnover with their lethal conviction in transition.
Logan McDonald was imposing inside forward 50, along with Isaac Heeney with his raw power in the contest, goals were coming from different avenues.
There’s a whole 2024 to play out, but the Pies now face a bit of negative history, with the 0-2 start after winning the premiership.
The Lions loss to the Dockers has certainly blown up their woes to begin 2024, with a 2-27 start withering away.
It’s the first time in VFL/AFL history where both Grand Finalists have started 0-2 the following season.
The Lions have the bye, and if the Pies lose to the Saints next week, both teams will enter their Easter Thursday clash against each other winless.
3. Adelaide still can’t win interstate.
A valiant last-quarter effort from the Crows wasn’t enough, as the Crows failed to win interstate yet again.
It was a pretty poor showing from the Crows, albeit in quite horrendous rainy conditions in the Sunshine State.
The Crows have been touted by many pundits as top-four contenders, but it’s a statement far from home until this team can prove they can do it anywhere, anytime.
The energy and creativity of small forwards Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele provided some late comeback fight, but there was a lack of conviction entering forward 50, with the Crows going at 29.6%.
Taylor Walker’s absence was felt and with no scoreboard impact from Darcy Fogarty, the Crows looked far from keeping in the contest.
The Crows aren’t bad, but they can’t be taken seriously until they prove they can do it out of Adelaide against strong opposition.
4. Goalkicking still remains an issue in 2024.
The Bombers and Hawks gave us an entertaining opener to Saturday’s action, goal for goal at points throughout the clash, but the Bombers got away late.
In a contest that was even in most areas statistically, the Hawks will be ruing their missed opportunities in front of goals.
A 39% conversion rate from 28 scoring shots dictated the result of this game, whilst the Bombers proved that good kicking wins you games of football.
The very next game we saw the Giants have 36 shots on goal, only for 17 of them to register as majors, so you could say North got off lightly.
Geelong and St Kilda combined for 19.30, and Port Adelaide kicked 16.24, which just leads us to the question of why?
The increasing pace of the game naturally contributes to more errors, and fatigue affects disposal efficiency, but should it affect goal-kicking?
The pressure behind each kick is something the casual fan will never understand, but ultimately, kicking is a fundamental of the game and yet still seems one of the hardest skills to execute at surface level.
If a team can go over 50% on scoring efficiency each week, the ability to consistently impose scoreboard pressure will become a stronger asset than individual talent alone.
5. Fremantle might be back, for now!
The Dockers ill-discipline opening quarter against the Lions nearly put any idea of a competitive contest out the window.
But the switch flicked in the second quarter, a lot more creative flair inside forward 50, gut-busting efforts, and the Dockers seemed to be finding their groove again kicking eight consecutive goals.
Jye Amiss and Josh Treacy combined for seven goals, and young gun, Caleb Serong, hit a new Fremantle record for most disposals recorded in a game, with 46 disposals.
Wasn’t great to see the litter of injuries for the likes of Warner, McDonald, and Cox, who the Dockers will be without next week at the very least.
The Dockers look back to their 2022 best when they move the ball with pace, and with a creative forward line that impacts per possession, there’s no reason why they can’t be taken seriously in 2024.
It’s still early days and the Lions certainly looked as woeful as their second half against the Blues, so we’ll hold off judgement with the Dockers until they come up against another contender, but early signs are good.