“Strong feelings are fine; it's the overreactions that mess us up.”
American psychologist, Albert Ellis, coined that phase, one that can be directly related to round one of the AFL season.
It happens every year. We constantly tell ourselves in the lead-up to the opening round not to overact, and remember there are still 21 games to go. No matter how many reminders you get, though, it’s inevitable that people draw far-reaching conclusions after the inaugural weekend.
It’s only natural. After a month of meaningless practice games and multiple intra-club matches, where every player manages to tear the track down, we are left salivating for the real stuff to begin. Then, when it does, we can’t help but curate season-defining narratives for all 18 clubs, underpinned from one performance.
However, that doesn’t mean the lessons we take from round one are completely useless. A lot of them actually set the tone for the season ahead, and gives teams their first real footage to analyse. These games can be used as building blocks for some, and painful reminders for others of the consequences for when you don’t play well.
So, take these lessons with a grain of salt, but don’t fully discard them.
The real Bomber beneficiaries
For all the emotional euphoria expressed by the returning Bombers on Saturday night, the true winners were the players who weren’t involved in the WADA suspension – but will reap the ultimate benefits of having their mates back.
A silver lining from Essendon’s 2016 was the slew of youngsters who were given an extended chance to prove themselves. Now, with a full squad back, those players are sharing the field with a greater amount of talent, lowering the responsibility on their shoulders, but increasing their output.
With the likes of Jobe Watson and Dyson Heppell back in the middle, Zach Merrett enjoyed extra amounts of free space, racking up 37 disposals, 25 of which were uncontested. Joe Daniher relished the cleaner delivery inside 50, Shaun McKernan saw his hit-outs eventuate into quality scoring chances, Darcy Parish was able to cover plenty of ground and even Brendon Goddard took advantage of extended time in the midfield.
It’s the impact that the returning Dons have on the unsuspended ones, that’ll decide their finals hopes.
Collingwood seems to be who we thought they were
Not often do pre-determined perceptions become reality, but that seemed to happen for the Pies on Friday night.
Lauded for having one of the AFL’s best midfields, Collingwood displayed it against the premiers. Smashing the Dogs in contested possessions (161-135), clearances (43-25) and inside 50’s (62-44), the Magpie midfield brigade proved they can hang with the very best, even without Daniel Wells, Levi Greenwood and Jordan De Goey. There is still scope for this midfield group to improve.
However, what translated from that dominance in the middle is the real issue. Collingwood managed to score just 12.14 (86), the third-lowest score from round one, despite the game being played in their attacking half. Additionally, the Bulldogs continually rebounded the ball over the top of the Pies’ defensive press with ease, a problem that doomed Nathan Buckley’s men last season.
It’s the equation we formulated for the Pies coming into the year. Can an elite midfield trump inept forward and backlines? Even though they pushed the Bulldogs to the edge, Collingwood didn’t have the cumulative power to take advantage of their strengths, something that could permeate as the season progresses.
GWS actually haven’t already won the premiership
Stop the presses, and cancel the printing of the GWS 2017 premiers t-shirts.
The overwhelming preseason favourites were handed a harsh reality check from the Crows on Sunday, a result that may have restored faith in those who had already engraved the Giants name into the premiership cup. This season isn’t just about playing for second, as GWS’ talent rich squad was simply overran and outhunted by an Adelaide outfit that lost some midfield depth over the off-season.
GWS were belted in numerous key performance indicators, including disposals (415-349), inside 50’s (65-47) and scoring shots (37-21), while they couldn’t match the Crows’ manic pressure. The loss doesn’t mean the Giants should be immediately relinquished from their premiership favouritism, but it confirms they aren’t going to walk through the competition like some thought.
Danger still exists, but with added assistance
Seeing the Cats enjoy a comfortable victory with Patrick Dangerfield racking up 24 possessions and three goals isn’t anything new. While it was encouraging to see the Brownlow Medalist hasn’t lost anything over summer, the most inspiring aspect from Geelong’s win was the help they received from the second tier.
Dangerfield, as prolific as he was, wasn’t left to do it on his own, ditto Joel Selwood. Mitch Duncan, one of the midfielders burdened with the task to step up and assist his dynamic teammates, accumulated 30 touches and was dangerous on the outside. The much-maligned Steven Motlop applied strong defensive pressure, while George Horlin-Smith and Nakia Cockatoo showed glimpses.
Additionally, Tom Ruggles was influential down back and Josh Cowan used it well out of the defensive half. At the other end, Lincoln McCarthy often found himself in the right position.
If this group of Cats can find some consistency to match Dangerfield’s excellent, Chris Scott’s men will be able to maintain a top-four seeding.
Pepper Power
In a win for recruiting managers everywhere, we saw a slew of debutants in round one, many of which made tangible impacts. However, it’s hard to find one that looked more comfortable in his first game than Sam Powell-Pepper.
In the upset of the round, and potentially the entire season, the Power out-Sydneyed Sydney at the SCG, with ferocious tackling, and sharp, direct ball movement. Powell-Pepper was a tone setter, despite seeing just 67 percent of game time.
The East Perth product gathered the footy 19 times, gaining 470 metres and winning seven clearances. Additionally, his 14 pressure acts indicated the oppressive nature he hunted the Swans’ ball carriers with. Powell-Pepper’s two majors, and subsequent celebrations, were evident of a player oozing confidence.
Port Adelaide, in a make-or-break season, was in desperate need for a spark plug to rejuvenate a team that stagnated through the past two campaigns. They may have found the perfect battery in Powell-Pepper.