One positive and one negative from your club's Round 1 performance.
Positive(s): Fierce attack, Tex winds back the clock
Adelaide, last year’s wooden spooners, attacked Geelong fiercely from the outset and it paid dividends.
Matthew Nicks’ youthful side were irresistible from the start, bringing a ferocious style of play and tackling intent which had the runners-up on the back foot early.
Another major bonus was the commanding display from Taylor Walker, who wound back the clock with a match-winning five-goal haul.
There were plenty of positive signs for the Crows.
Negative: Letting the Cats back in
The Crows had their foot on the throat at half-time when leading by 38 points.
It proved an insurmountable task for the Cats but not before the visitors were offered a sniff to claw their way back into proceedings.
After a few last-quarter scares which let their opponents back in, the Crows were able to see it out and record a memorable win.
Andrew Slevison
Positive: Daniher’s debut
Brisbane recruit Joe Daniher impressed in what was a poor night for the Lions as a whole.
The tall forward kicked 2.2 and showed flashes of his obvious ability throughout.
The 27-year-old did not dominate the game by any stretch but should be better for the run.
Most promisingly, he looks to have put his injury concerns behind him after playing just 15 games over the past three seasons.
Negative: Non-existent tackle pressure
The Lions poor defensive pressure allowed Sydney to go on seven-goal and nine-goal runs in Saturday night's shock loss.
Chris Fagan’s side applied just 41 tackles throughout the 31-point defeat, 11 less than the Swans.
Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale contributed none to that tally after averaging three over last season.
Brisbane will need a clear focus on defensive pressure if they’re to get the better of Geelong in a rematch of last season’s preliminary final.
Lachlan Geleit
Positive: Adam Saad and Lachie Fogarty have an immediate impact
Carlton didn’t have Zac Williams on Thursday night, but Saad and Fogarty proved the Blues have added three players to their best 22.
Saad was as advertised, dashing off half-back and being a key link in transition. He finished with 25 disposals, 350 metres gained, six rebound 50s and four inside 50s.
Fogarty found more of the footy than expected playing as a pressure half-forward, winning 20 disposals and eight score involvements.
Carlton needed to add speed and x-factor coming off 2020 and have done so.
Negative: Clearances a worry
Across the AAMI Community Series and Round 1, Carlton has lost the clearances to two good teams in St Kilda and Richmond 90 to 69.
Against the Saints, they were beaten around the ground, but the Tigers smacked the Blues in the centre 19-10, with Shai Bolton and Dustin Martin doing as they please.
Carlton’s blueprint for success last year was winning the clearances and trapping the ball in their forward half. They struggled when the clearances went against them in 2020 given transition from half-back to inside 50 was an issue.
It will be something to watch against Collingwood, but the returns of Williams and Jack Martin should help as on-ball rotations who use the ball well.
Nic Negrepontis
Stay up to date with all the latest news from SEN. Sign up HERE.
Positive: Jeremy Howe and Darcy Moore
Collingwood defender Jeremy Howe made a promising return from the serious knee injury that ended his 2020 season.
The leaping defender took six marks and had 13 disposals in a strong performance off half-back.
While Howe was solid, key defender Darcy Moore was comfortably the Magpies' best, clunking eight intercept marks in a classy display.
If Collingwood are any chance to play finals, they’ll need to rely on both Howe and Moore to pick off the opposition and turn defence into attack.
Negative: Scoring troubles
Collingwood’s main concern heading into the season was their ability to kick a winning score, and that was again a problem against the Bulldogs.
The Magpies kicked the lowest score of an otherwise high-scoring Round 1, managing only 53 points in a frustrating display.
While Jordan De Goey has a desire to play more midfield minutes, he may be forced to play a deeper role to give Nathan Buckley much-needed firepower inside 50.
Lachlan Geleit
Positive: The Bombers blueprint on full display
Essendon hasn't hidden away from wanting to become a more defensively minded team this year.
In their first half showing against Hawthorn on Saturday night, they were able to push numbers around the footy and completely blunt the Hawks attack.
The Bombers were able to successfully score goals from midfield and found a mix forward of centre that worked, which coach Ben Rutten should take plenty of positives from considering their off-season departures.
All that was missing was a second half showing.
Negative: Second half fade out
Squandering a 40-point lead wasn’t the way the Bombers would’ve wanted to start a season where they’d be hoping for plenty of growth and development.
As good as the second quarter was, conceding eight goals and letting Tom Mitchell largely gain control in the middle overshadowed all the gains Essendon made earlier in the match.
Perhaps the most worrying aspect of the third quarter was the Hawks scoring a staggering eight goals straight from 16 entries.
It doesn't get any easier in Round 2 for Essendon, a daunting trip to face Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
Laurence Rosen
Positive: The midfield
Despite having a debutant in the ruck and giving up significant size to Melbourne’s vaunted on-ball brigade, Fremantle won the clearances 35-27.
Nathan Fyfe carried the load with nine clearances, while Andrew Brayshaw, Caleb Serong and Adam Cerra thrived.
Then there’s the 35-year-old David Mundy who picked up 19 disposals, five marks and three clearances.
Even without Michael Walters and a recognised ruckman, Fremantle’s midfield won the battle and that would buoy coach Justin Longmuir.
Negative: Hamling and Pearce injured again
As if Fremantle didn’t already have enough injury issues to worry about, they’ve now lost Alex Pearce and Joel Hamling … again.
Pearce started the game forward and went down with what looks like a serious knee injury, while Hamling took up his regular post in defence.
Hamling’s ankle injury appears to be on the minor side, but the Dockers are already missing key position players and will need to start getting creative.
Nic Negrepontis
Positive: New recruits impress
It was a disappointing day for Geelong, but Shaun Higgins and Isaac Smith's performences would've pleased coach Chris Scott.
Smith was one of his side’s best, gathering 21 and kicking two goals while Shaun Higgins slotted in seamlessly with 22 touches.
Geelong’s two recruits were fantastic first up.
Jeremy Cameron faces several more weeks on the sidelines due to a hamstring injury.
Negative: Poor second quarter the difference
Giving up seven goals to last year’s wooden spooners and being down by 38 points isn’t what Scott would’ve wanted to start the season.
It was a jarring performance from the Cats overall and one of the great upsets considering where both sides finished last year.
On the back of a less than impressive AAMI Community Series game against the Bombers, there’s a few worrying signs early for Geelong ahead of Friday night’s clash against Brisbane.
Laurence Rosen
Positive: Fighting effort in face of adversity
It looked ominous for Gold Coast when West Coast kicked the opening three goals of Sunday’s match.
In scorching conditions at Optus Stadium, the Suns regrouped after the slow start to take it right up to the Eagles on their home deck.
Despite losing Matt Rowell to a knee injury, Gold Coast led narrowly at three-quarter time and threatened to cause another Round 1 boilover.
The final margin of 25 points wasn’t a true reflection of how tight the contest was.
Negative: Rowell’s injury
It’s a shattering blow for Rowell in what was his first game back from a dislocated shoulder.
The Suns young gun was substituted in the first quarter and was seen in a leg brace and on crutches with suspected damage to his left knee.
“It will keep him out for some time, though we don’t think it is season ending,” coach Stuart Dew said.
"It doesn't look like anything major."
Scans will determine how long the 19-year-old will be sidelined for. Fingers crossed we see Rowell back playing soon.
Alex Zaia
Positive: In like Flynn
After almost 1,950 days between his draft day and his debut, Matthew Flynn impressed greatly in his first try at the elite level.
The 23-year-old finished with 34 hit outs, 18 disposals, eight intercepts, five inside 50s and five score involvements in an accomplished display.
He went down with what appeared a serous injury during the third quarter but returned to take some important contested marks in the wet.
Hopefully a sign of things to come for the Giants.
Negative: Failure to capitalise
The Giants had every right to beat the Saints.
The visiting side was without a number of key players and had their backs against the wall early. GWS had 10 more inside 50s and more scoring shots but simply couldn’t go on with the job.
The undermanned St Kilda outfit dug deep on the road and secured a deserved four points, leaving Leon Cameron’s men, who had a golden opportunity, to ponder what might have been.
What is it that is holding the Giants back?
Andrew Slevison
Positive: Tom Mitchell is back to Brownlow form
After a year finding his feet again following a broken leg, Tom Mitchell was back to his best against Essendon in Round 1.
Mitchell finished with 39 disposals, including 17 in the third quarter and helped change the game for the Hawks.
It’s reasonable to suggest the Brownlow Medallist needed 12 months to get back to his best and Hawthorn will be hoping he can continue to have a significant impact in 2021.
Negative: The first half
Obviously, you can only come back to win from 40 points down when you get 40 points down and Hawthorn’s second quarter in particular left a lot to be desired.
The Bombers took an even game and took over, kicking eight goals to one on the fast Marvel Stadium deck.
The Hawks will be hoping those lapses don’t become a regular occurrence in 2021, given it happened in the corresponding game against Essendon in 2020.
Nic Negrepontis
Positive: Tom McDonald takes big chance
Put on the trade table last year, Tom McDonald’s impressive Round 1 performance would’ve delighted Demons fans and coach Simon Goodwin.
Taking a game-high nine marks and slotting two goals, McDonald has put down a marker of where he wants to be in 2021 after a turbulent campaign last season.
With Sam Weideman and Ben Brown still a few weeks away from returning, he now has a bank of games to cement his spot.
Negative: How much can you read into the result?
Melbourne negotiated a potentially tricky opening-round opponent with relative ease in the end.
But it’s hard to know how much to read into it considering just how injury-hit Fremantle were, with both Alex Pearce and Joel Hamling spending long periods off the ground.
Just how real Saturday’s performance was will be put to the test in Round 2, when the Dees take on St Kilda under the roof at Marvel Stadium.
Laurence Rosen
SEN's experts make their full season predictions
Positive: New pieces all get ticks
There was plenty to like if you’re a North Melbourne fan on Sunday, headlined by Jaidyn Stephenson’s first game in the blue and white.
Playing through the midfield, Stephenson finished with a career-high 33 disposals and looks as fit as he has ever been.
Down back, Lachie Young and Aidan Corr both slotted in nicely, while captain Jack Ziebell won 25 disposals in his new role.
Jared Polec looked reinvigorated on the wing, Tom Powell impressed with 19 disposals and a goal on debut, Luke Davies-Uniacke looks set to breakout and Connor Menadue was serviceable as a pick up off the scrap heap.
Negative: Key forward targets
It’s a new era for North Melbourne without Ben Brown and it’s going to take some time to adjust.
Nick Larkey spent some time off the ground dealing with an injury niggle, but was kept scoreless and very quiet by the Port Adelaide backline.
Cam Zurhaar also had no impact and needs to start becoming a more consistent performer.
North’s goals came from their small forwards and their midfielders, but they will need much more from Larkey and Zurhaar.
Nic Negrepontis
Positive: Recruits shine in Roos thumping
Orazio Fantasia and Aliir Aliir give Port Adelaide a new dimension at both ends of the ground.
Fantasia kicked 4.4 and brought bundles of energy in the Power’s 52-point win over North Melbourne in Sunday’s season opener.
Only inaccurate goalkicking stopped the ex-Bomber from finishing with a huge haul on debut.
He has slotted in beautifully since arriving at Alberton, as has defensive acquisition Aliir.
The former Swan was a towering presence across half-back finishing with 14 disposals and four marks.
Negative: Sluggish start
Coach Ken Hinkley would see Port Adelaide’s slow start as an area for improvement.
The Kangaroos started brightly and took a two-point lead into quarter time, but Port regrouped to dominate the following two quarters.
Defender Riley Bonner picked up a hamstring injury and is likely to miss a few weeks.
Alex Zaia
Positive(s): Dusty isn’t slowing, Tigers still hungry
Dustin Martin picked up where he left off in Thursday night's win over Carlton.
The three-time Norm Smith Medallist produced a mix of brute power and delicate finesse in his 31-disposal, two-goal game which included two goal assists and 12 score involvements.
When the game was there to be won, Martin (with help from Jack Riewoldt) turned it on and got it done once again.
The Tigers also showed no signs of dropping off with a fierce hunger to win evident when the game was in the balance.
Negative: Lack of pressure (at times)
Richmond allowed the Blues to move the ball swiftly from end to end.
The Tigers gave up a number of goals direct from their forward 50 with Carlton at times shifting the ball from defence to attack with relative ease and under less pressure than we are used to seeing from the reigning premiers.
Damien Hardwick has built his side differently to that and no doubt there will be plenty of work on that specific aspect this week ahead of their clash with Hawthorn.
Andrew Slevison
Positive: Undermanned Saints score spirited win
It’s the sort of win that can set up your season.
Without nine first-team players and in trying conditions away from home, St Kilda secured a gutsy eight-point win over GWS in what coach Brett Ratten described as a mature performance.
Recruit Jack Higgins was lively with two goals while fellow debutants Tom Highmore, Paul Hunter and Shaun McKernan competed well.
The come-from-behind victory will give the Saints huge belief moving forward.
Negative: Free kicks
The 30-14 free kick count was firmly in GWS’ favour.
While some of them were dubious, the Saints can tidy up on their discipline from stoppages and boundary throw-ins.
McKernan, who played important ruck minutes in the last quarter, was guilty of conceding multiple free kicks throughout the afternoon.
Alex Zaia
Positive: Eye-catching debutants
Sydney blooded three promising youngsters in their Round 1 match against Brisbane, and they all had their moments in the stunning 31-point win.
Academy products Errol Gulden and Braeden Campbell showed why the club was so keen to add them to the senior list, with Gulden in particular starring with 19 classy disposals and three goals.
Talented key forward Logan McDonald also impressed in his first outing, kicking three majors of his own.
McDonald showed why some had him earmarked as the best player in last year's draft.
Negative: Kennedy's slow start
Champion midfielder Josh Kennedy was quiet in Sydney's season-opening win over the Lions.
The 32-year-old had more clangers (seven) than effective disposals (six), and while the inside bull’s game isn’t reliant on the stat sheet alone, he would have hoped for a better start to 2021.
Kennedy will need to play a key role if the Swans are to jump up the ladder as many now expect.
Lachlan Geleit
Positive: Oscar Allen
Has this Eagle landed?
With speculation Josh Kennedy could be managed through his twilight years at West Coast - particularly if hub life descends - and Jack Darling inching closer to 30, it’s important Allen cements his status as the next Eagles spearhead.
On Sunday he set off on his way, with four goals in front of 38,493 at Optus Stadium. Two strong, lead-up marks - one as the Eagles raced out to a three-goal lead, another as they chased down the Suns in the final term - could represent the changing of the guard.
Negative: Complacency
Only a fourth quarter fadeout from Stuart Dew’s Suns spared Adam Simpson’s side a humiliating home defeat to start the season.
Gold Coast led at three-quarter time in Perth, prepared to challenge the Eagles’ desire to stretch the ground with height, and to outmuscle the vaunted West Coast midfield.
Skipper Luke Shuey and athletic Elliot Yeo will fortify the rotation, but Nic Naitanui, Dom Sheed, Tim Kelly, Jack Redden and Liam Duggan wouldn't have expected to tie for clearances with a Suns unit short of Matt Rowell for most of the game.
Can this midfield graduate from ‘on paper’ this year?
Nathan John
Positive: Ryan Gardner
In the second quarter, an opportunity presented for the Tasmanian key back to peel off his man and collect a loose ball, but he risked a certain goal if he didn’t make it in time.
The uncertainty was evident in his body language, but a teammate called him forward, it came off and Gardner’s game blossomed from there.
He will face sterner questions than posed by Collingwood, but his distribution and aerial defence look more assured than ever before.
Negative: Lack of connection
The +149 disposal, +19 inside 50 and +33 mark differentials could have seen Luke Beveridge’s side truly eviscerate the Magpies.
Too often they took themselves down the boundary, launching the ball into a mess of tall options, with Laitham Vandermeer the only small who looked capable when it came to ground.
The midfield appears harmonious, with Adam Treloar rotating inside and out and Bailey Smith raining fury on a wing, but there is chemistry to build before the Bulldogs can capitalise on it.
Nathan John