What are the key takeaways and observations relating to your club in Round 2?
We have dissected each of the matches and offered a number of talking points for all 18 clubs.
The following will not apply to each club every week but form the basis of our views.
The Key Takeaway
The Undroppables
The Overreaction
The Positive
The Negative
What no one is talking about
What they need to tweak for next week
The Key Takeaway: Crows failed to string four quarters together again
Again, it was a tale of two halves on Saturday afternoon. In Round 1, Adelaide dominated the first half before capitulating against the Giants.
Round 2 saw a different tale, with the Crows terrible early before playing footy befitting the reigning premiers for the third term. The fourth quarter too started strong but Adelaide just ran out of legs late.
The potential is there, but not if the Matthew Nicks’ men can’t play four terms.
What they need to tweak for next week: Capitalising on momentum
There was little expected of Adelaide 45 points down at half-time. Yet a stunning onslaught ensured and considering how much the Crows outplayed Richmond for 30 minutes, they probably deserved to be closer.
But five goals and eight behinds, only three of which were rushed, aren’t going to cut it against a team like Richmond.
Adelaide had similar dominance in the first half of Round 1 against GWS but then too failed to capitalise in putting the game away. Either the Crows learn to step up when the moment demands, or this will be another wasted season for the club.
The Positive: Darcy Fogarty and Taylor Walker will be dangerous this year
Darcy Fogarty and Taylor Walker have been tipped for big things in 2023, and the early signs are very positive for Crows fans.
This week it was nine shots on goal from the duo for five goals. The power and strength of the key forward pair was on show at key times and if Adelaide learns how to play a full game of football, these two are going to receive and take advantage of plenty of supply.
The fact Adelaide has the confidence in its brand to launch a massive comeback from 45 points down is also a big positive for Nicks and his team.
The Negative: Patrick Parnell’s concussion
It was an ugly incident that left the young Crow concussed at the Adelaide Oval. Nathan Broad will rightly be hit with a lengthy ban, but Parnell managed just six per cent of the game and will subsequently miss next week after the sling tackle.
But for a fringe player who was playing his first game of the year, it’s a tough start to the year for Parnell.
Seb Mottram
The Key Takeaway: Brisbane at their best, are premiership contenders
The Lions were back to their best on Friday night, completing outplaying a Melbourne side many rate as the number one seed in the game.
They were poor in Round 1 but brilliant in Round 2, the next few weeks are big for Chris Fagan's side.
Thursday night's clash against the Western Bulldogs is going to be a beauty.
The Positive: Josh Dunkley had his best game for his new side
The former Dog, after a quiet Round 1, was back to his ball-winning best against the Demons, collecting 26 disposals.
There's been a lot of hype surrounding Dunkley in the off-season but seeing him go to work alongside Lachie Neale, Will Ashcroft and Hugh McCluggage was exciting.
Expect him to cop plenty of attention on Thursday night against his former side.
Get the popcorn ready folks.
What no one is talking about: Dayne Zorko can play anywhere and is arguably Brisbane's most important player
Zorko is such a valuable player for Chris Fagan.
Used down in defence last year, Zorko played as a high half forward on Friday night and wasn’t he electric.
The former skipper gathered 22 disposals, going at 91 per cent efficiency, six score involvements along side his two goals.
Rhys Mathieson once referred to himself as 'the barometer' for the Lions, it’s fair to say Zorko is just that this year.
He doesn’t need the captaincy title to lead Brisbane.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
The Key Takeaway: The Blues must stay aggressive
Carlton brought a completely different game-plan for Geelong than Richmond, keeping speed on the ball and moving it quickly through the corridor. This gave Harry McKay, Charlie Curnow and the Blues’ forwards better looks.
They played with an aggression off half back that we haven’t seen and their pressure around the ball with three genuine small forwards gave Geelong headaches.
The Blues now enter a softer period of their fixture and the question will be whether they can bring that fire against the likes of GWS and North Melbourne.
What they need to tweak: Who goes out for Hewett?
The Blues look like a better team when they play two ruckmen and it’s hard to see them now moving away from that with Marc Pittonet coming in late for George Hewett.
Pittonet was managed through the game, but got through unscathed, while Ed Curnow had a strong performance filling in for George Hewett on-ball and tagging Cam Guthrie.
Curnow and Pittonet will surely keep their spots in the side leaving someone like Jack Silvagni the likely omission for Hewett, with Curnow shifting back to half forward.
The Positive: The wings are working
Carlton under Michael Voss has played a style heavily reliant on its wingmen covering the ground, filling defensive holes and being links in the chain on offence.
Unfortunately last season they did not have the personnel to make this work, with the likes of Jack Newnes and Will Setterfield not quite working, while Lochie O’Brien and Matt Cottrell were inconsistent.
Enter Blake Acres and Ollie Hollands. One a value trade period add and the other a draft selection, both of whom have slotted in and done everything asked of them.
Nic Negrepontis
The Key Takeaway: The Magpies look like the competition’s best team
After knocking off Geelong in Round 1, Collingwood looked even better in Round 2 against Port Adelaide.
Having copped both criticism and doubters for failing to put away teams in 2022, the Magpies have proven they have the firepower to blow away the opposition in 2023 as they’ve already scored 28 points more than the competition’s next best attack.
They’ve already come into premiership favouritism and if they can continue their hot form against Richmond on Friday night, it’d be a hard argument to say the Magpies aren’t the best team in it on current form.
The Overreaction: Nick Daicos may already be a top 10 player in the competition
Where to start with this kid?
After perhaps the best debut season in modern memory, Nick Daicos looks to have gone to another level in his second campaign.
Having shrugged off a hard tag in the first quarter, Daicos cut the Power to ribbons with 32 disposals and two goals in a best afield performance.
The fact that clubs are tagging him already shows how good this 20-year-old is, and as the most dangerous player in the competition’s hottest team, he may well be a top 10 player in the competition already.
It might be a bit premature to give him that honour, but if he keeps playing as well as he is right now, there’s no doubting he’ll be in that echelon sooner rather than later.
The Positive: Collingwood look like they can cope without Jeremy Howe.
The loss of Jeremy Howe to a sickening broken arm in Round 1 meant the Magpies had genuine questions over their defensive structure in Round 2.
While his replacement Billy Frampton didn’t dominant by any means, the trade recruit proved he can slot in alongside Darcy Moore and do his role well.
The early signs are good, but it’ll be a big test this week though up against Tom Lynch and Richmond’s tall brigade.
What no one is talking about: Darcy Cameron’s performance.
There was a lot of pressure riding on Darcy Cameron’s shoulders after the Magpies traded away Brodie Grundy, but early signs this season suggest the club can be comfortable in their decision.
The ruckman dominated Scott Lycett on Saturday, tallying 29 hitouts, 18 disposals and five marks – while even having two set shot attempts on goal that he missed.
He’s an underrated performer for the Magpies but is clearly rated inside the club’s four walls as he claimed the coaches’ MVP award for his performance against the Power.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: Brad Scott’s gameplan stacks up
While we only have a two game sample size, Brad Scott looks to be getting much more out of this Essendon side than how they performed in 2022.
The Dons are attacking with flair and are a much more solid defensive outfit, which was probably their biggest flaw under Ben Rutten.
Stopping teams from scoring in transition was a huge concern for the Bombers and on early form, they look to have stemmed that bleeding enough to hold teams to beatable scores.
The Undroppable: Massimo D’Ambrosio
While he only came into the side as a late inclusion, Massimo D’Ambrosio surely holds onto his spot for Round 4.
Amassing 18 disposals and five marks, the 19-year-old helped give the Bombers dash off half back and performed solidly all day.
He’d consider himself stiff to miss out if he does face the axe.
The Overreaction: From 2-0, can the Bombers dare to dream?
No one was expecting Essendon to do much in 2023, not even Brad Scott who said when he took the job that it was going to take time to develop the young group.
While those expectations probably haven’t changed much, from 2-0, statistics say they’re more likely than not to play finals with about 80 per cent of teams going on to play in September after winning their first two games in the AFL era.
With winnable games against St Kilda and GWS to come in the next fortnight, the Bombers could well set themselves up for a shock finals appearance with wins in those two fixtures.
What they need to tweak for next week: Key forward reliance
The Bombers entered Sunday’s game without a player with 100 career goals to their name, but Kyle Langford stood up and kicked a bag of five in a career day.
Clearly, that won’t happen every week, so the Bombers need to start getting some bang for their buck from their other key talls with Peter Wright out.
After Sam Weideman was a late out, Harrison Jones went scoreless and only mustered seven touches, they’ll need more from him if they’re to beat the Saints on Saturday night.
Lachlan Geleit
The Key Takeaway: What is going on at Fremantle?
The Dockers were one of the most disappointing performers out of Round 1, so it’s almost unfathomable that they turned in an even more disappointing performance to lose to North Melbourne in front of their home fans on Saturday night.
Regardless of what you think of the last-minute non-insufficient intent call, Fremantle’s slow ball movement was exposed again by a North Melbourne side who looked like winners right from the outset.
For a side that many expected to not only play finals but challenge for a spot in the top four, this isn't the start they would've wanted.
The Overreaction: They can’t play finals now
Two losses from two matches is not the way you want to start the season, but the year is still salvageable from here despite their current style of footy not producing early-season results.
With the Western Derby to come on Sunday, expect the pressure to crank up yet another notch. Adelaide and Gold Coast is to come after West Coast, so the draw does open up.
Let’s reassess in a few weeks.
What they need to tweak for next week: Ball movement
The best sides right now and putting speed on the ball – just look at what’s happening at Collingwood.
Justin Longmuir needs to release the shackles of this team and allow his star-studded midfield to get to work.
All eyes will be on Sunday to see whether they’ve made a tweak and decided to quicken their ball movement.
Laurence Rosen
The Key Takeaway: The Cats aren’t humming
So many times on Thursday night it was almost, but not quite for the Cats. It’s clear to see Geelong is lacking a bit of chemistry with a few new faces, while several players are nowhere near their best.
Tom Hawkins, Brad Close and Tanner Bruhn were all players who couldn’t get involved in Round 2. If Thursday’s game was played late in the 2022 season, the Cats would have been hot favourites to storm over the top of Carlton.
While it wasn’t to be, Chris Scott explained that he certainly wasn’t panicking despite an 0-2 start to the season and it seems clear the Cats want to be peaking late in the year.
The Undroppable: Jack Bowes
Former Sun Bowes enjoyed an impressive debut in the Hoops against Carlton, despite butchering a set shot late in the game that would have given Geelong the ascendancy.
Running off the half-backline, Bowes’ ball use stood out for most of the clash and was the Cats’ best ball user off half-back.
He’s the type of player that Chris Scott didn’t have at his disposal last year, and Bowes’ run and carry will form a big part of Geelong’s 2023 campaign.
The 25-year-old is going nowhere after 20 touches, 11 contested possessions and an equal game-high 10 contested possessions.
The Positive: Injury-ravaged defence only concedes 13 goals
On paper, it looks like nothing spectacular. But don’t forget the fact Geelong is missing Tom Stewart, Jack Henry and Jake Kolodjashnij, three first-choice players all unavailable due to injury.
Carlton averaged 81 points a game last year but are tipped to have improved in Michael Voss’ second year.
Sam De Koning and Esava Ratugolea were the only listed tall defenders in a side that often deployed four last year. Ratugolea, 24, hadn’t played in defence until the week prior.
If Geelong can at least get Stewart back soon, the backline and entire team will be the big beneficiaries.
Seb Mottram
The Key Takeaway: Gold Coast’s season is on the line in April
After letting slip a winnable game against Essendon, there’s only one thing to know about the Suns going forward. Their season is absolutely on the line in the next month.
They play the reigning premiers and a 2022 finalist in Geelong and Fremantle in Rounds 3 and 5. Gold Coast also faces St Kilda and North Melbourne in Rounds 4 and 6, teams that are currently 2-0. Richmond will then host them at Marvel Stadium to end April in Round 7. There’s every chance Gold Coast goes into all five as underdogs.
Recent history suggests it’s almost impossible to make finals from 0-3. But if the odds play out and it’s 0-7 for Dew and the Suns, then the AFL’s lovechild is arguably right back where it started in 2011.
The Positive: Ben King’s still got it
While modern medicine continues to inspire, you can never be truly confident how a player will return after an ACL injury.
Well, Suns fans can rest knowing Ben King’s going to get back to his best. He wasn’t flying on Sunday, but two goals from 12 touches and a big mark in the final term showed enough to suggest King is going to tear games apart this year, if the Suns can fix their ball movement woes.
King, along with fellow young star Jack Lukosius, have the potential to combine for a dominant forward combination for years to come on the Gold Coast.
The Negative: Have the Suns lost their DNA?
One thing you could never accuse Gold Coast of in Stuart Dew’s tenure is a lack of effort. The players always had Dew’s back and played for their coach, but that wasn’t evident on Sunday.
Essendon had more disposals (1587-1425) but still won the tackle count 66-48, a poor indictment on Dew’s team who also lost one percenters.
The week prior, Sydney had 24 more tackles than the Suns despite also winning the disposal count. Dew signed a contract extension late last season, but it’s a worrying trend he’ll hope to overwrite against Geelong, who also have a point to return in Round 3.
Seb Mottram
The negative: Eight-goal second quarter sinks the Giants
For the GWS Giants, it’s a case of when it rains, it pours. After allowing the Adelaide Crows to kick eight of the first 12 goals of the match in Round 1, the Giants could not stop the rot in the second quarter against the West Coast Eagles in Round 2.
The Eagles kicked eight goals to two in the second term including a run of six straight goals. Despite the Giants rallying in the second half and making the score respectable, the match was all but over midway through the third term.
The positive: Captain Toby leading the way
For two weeks in a row, Toby Greene has led from the front as captain and has inspired his teammates to follow. Another four-goal effort in a team that was soundly beaten across the park is no easy feat and the two-time All Australian seems to have matured and removed the ill-disciplined aspect to his game.
What they need to tweak for next week: Stop the momentum swings
The Giants and Eagles were largely equal in all the key stats but what ultimately killed GWS was the shocking second quarter in which they were outscored 51 points to 13. If the Giants had stemmed the bleeding somewhat, they could’ve been in with a chance to win the game.
The Giants host Carlton in Round 3 who possess weapons in their forward line and midfield with the likes of Charlie Curnow, Harry McKay, Patrick Cripps and Adam Cerra. The Giants mustn’t allow Carlton to score goals in clusters.
Charles Goodsir
The Key Takeaway: Long season ahead
It’s going to be a long season for the Hawks.
There was some positivity prior to the Essendon game but that ended badly. It only got worse on the weekend.
Their performance against the Swans was fairly average, even if they did win the clearance count (35-28). They were outclassed all around the ground
This might not be the last 70+ point loss for the season.
As coach Sam Mitchell said: “We’ve got some challenges.”
The Positive: Day the midfielder
Will Day’s move into the midfield was a major plus.
After a solid outing against the Bombers last week, Day was one of the only positives for the Hawks on a dark day against the Swans.
The 21-year-old finished with 26 touches, 11 contested possessions, seven clearances and four inside 50s and was one of Hawthorn’s very best.
Day is only contracted for this season, so the Hawks need to do whatever they can to re-sign him on a long-term deal.
The Negative: Didn’t come firing
After last week’s performance against the Bombers, the Hawks had the perfect opportunity to come out firing in Sydney.
From the opening bounce they were flat and you could tell in the first five minutes that a heavy loss might have been on the cards.
While they had their chances in the opening term (returning 1.5), they conceded 10 scoring shots to the Swans. The Hawks were inaccurate over the course of the four quarters, finishing with 4.13, but so were the Swans who kicked 17 goals from a massive 33 scoring shots.
Even in the absence of Lance Franklin, Hawthorn allowed emerging forwards Logan McDonald and Joel Amartey to run riot with nine goals and 14 marks between them.
What they need to tweak for next week
Changes are needed.
It was good to see Mitchell back his team after their poor Round 1 performance, but after what was dished up in Round 2 the same side simply cannot be picked.
Denver Grainger-Barass had a strong game for Box Hill while Jack Scrimshaw and Harry Morrison should also be ready to return.
Something needs to give ahead of a somewhat winnable match against the undefeated North Melbourne in Tassie.
Andrew Slevison
The Overreaction: Melbourne can’t win without Gawn
While they went 2-0 without him last season, Melbourne looked all at sea without Max Gawn.
Even though Brodie Grundy battled and performed reasonably once the skipper went down with a knee injury, Gawn’s absence was felt considerably both in the middle and around the ground.
Up against Sydney this week, they either need more from Grundy or their key talls in the air to get on top of a hot Swans outfit.
The Negative: Demons were dominated on-ball
It’s something you don’t say often, but Melbourne were bullied on ball on Friday night.
While the Lions are one of the competition’s best midfield units, they never would have expected to win the clearance count 60-32 against the Demons.
There are simply too many stars in their on-ball brigade to lose the statistic like that.
What they need to tweak for next week: Taking contested marks
Without Gawn and Steven May, the Demons struggled to compete in the air on Friday night.
With just two contested marks as a team, the Lions were able to bring the ball to ground and get to work in both defence and attack.
After succumbing to Sydney’s forward pressure in last year’s Qualifying Final where the Swans totalled 25 tackles inside 50, the Demons will be desperate to pick off contested and intercept grabs at both ends of the ground.
They may need to if they’re to win this mouth-watering matchup.
Lachlan Geleit
The Positive: Ben Cunnington makes a pretty big difference
The difference Ben Cunnington in this North Melbourne midfield is tough to quantify.
His level head and ability to get his hands on the ball at stoppage when it matters most were crucial in the second half against Fremantle.
He finished with 24 disposals, six clearances, six score involvements and two goal assists.
The Overreaction: Harry Sheezel is already a top 50 player in the AFL
Is this even an overreaction? We’re a fortnight into the season and Harry Sheezel has comfortably been one of the best handful of rebound defenders in the AFL.
He backed up his Rising Star nomination performance with another 30-disposal, eight-mark, nine-rebound 50 effort.
This included a game saving toe poke at the end of the game where he stopped the Eagles from rushing through a behind that would have tied things up.
The teenager is having an incredible season to this point.
What no one is talking about: Backline holding up without Ben McKay
Last year, when the Roos were without Ben McKay, their backline was completely exposed.
The likes of Jack Ziebell and Aiden Bonar were forced into key defensive roles, something that did not end well.
However, with Griffin Logue now in the mix and much-improved defensive structures around the ground, the Roos have won back to back games without their key defensive star.
Nic Negrepontis
The Key Takeaway: The Power aren’t quite at the elite level
There were plenty of big calls made after Port Adelaide’s dominant victory over Brisbane last week, having claimed the scalp of one of the competition’s top teams.
However, when matched up against a white-hot Collingwood, the Power couldn’t muster a repeat performance.
They were simply overrun by the frenetic Magpies, struggling to keep up with their lightning-quick pace as the game got out of control early.
While Saturday’s clash made it clear that Port Adelaide isn’t on the same level as Collingwood, the Power still showed signs of fight, having occasional periods where they matched the Magpies’ ferocity.
Simply put, Port have looked good early in the season, they were just taking on a freight train that has looked unstoppable two weeks in.
The Positive: Port are still in a much better position than this time last year
While some Power fans may be deflated after being hammered by Collingwood, this feeling shouldn’t stay for long, as it’s clear that Port are a completely different side to last season.
Port couldn’t have had a worse start in 2022, dropping the first five games and immediately falling out of finals contention.
In comparison, the Power have already secured a big win to start the year and look like they have completely revitalised their attack.
With the Showdown against Adelaide and a clash with Sydney looming across the next two weeks, the Power have their hands full, yet with what they’ve shown so far they are certainly capable of securing a pair of big wins.
The Negative: Ryan Burton’s suspension
Ryan Burton is set to miss two weeks due to a dangerous tackle he put on Collingwood’s Jamie Elliott, with the MRO grading the incident as careless, high contact and high impact.
The suspension will see Burton miss time for the first occasion since 2020, having established himself as a key part of the Power’s backline.
With two pivotal contests ahead of Port Adelaide, the ban looks set to be a costly one for the club.
What they need to tweak for next week: The tag
Port Adelaide opted to tag Nick Daicos on the weekend, and it was safe to say it did not work.
Lachie Jones was completely ineffective in taking the star out of the contest, letting him run rampant off half-back.
Taking on the Crows next week, the main target for a tag would be star midfielder Rory Laird.
Yet if the Power elect to send someone to him, they should try someone other than Lachie Jones.
Jack Makeham
The Undroppable: Samson Ryan
The 22-year-old looked much more equipped as an AFL player in his second outing.
Ryan has put on a bit of size over the off-season (and plenty more since his 2021 debut) and seems more comfortable at the elite level.
That showed in his output against the Crows.
The 206cm Ryan finished with three goals including a crucial set shot from 50 in the tense final term. He also took four marks (two contested) and helped out in the ruck.
While his overall numbers weren’t huge, his presence could help the Richmond forward line stretch some smaller opposition defences.
The Positive: The ability to go 45 points up
You must be doing something right if you’re getting out to a 45-point lead by half-time of an interstate game against an improving opponent.
The Tigers were dominant in the first half and looked sharp in piling on 11 goals to Adelaide’s three.
After a stuttering third quarter, they were able to pick themselves up again and kick the last five goals to come away with an in the end deserving win.
When up and running, the Tigers are dangerous, but they can’t afford fadeouts…
The Negative: Third quarter fadeout
Amongst the positives for the Tigers there is a glaring negative.
That third quarter performance was woeful.
The Crows smashed them in the middle which led to a lopsided 24-7 inside 50 count, resulting in a 5.8 to 1.1 term. If it wasn’t for Adelaide’s inaccuracy in front of goal, the Tigers could have found themselves behind.
It was a similar lapse to some of last season’s which cost them games. Anything similar against Collingwood this Friday night will be punished.
The fact that Dustin Martin (hamstring), Tom Lynch (corky) and Jacob Hopper (knee) were all sent for scans is certainly not ideal, and Jayden Short (calf) is set to miss.
Neither is the expected suspension for Nathan Broad for his crude sling tackle which left Patrick Parnell concussed.
What no one is talking about
Marlion Pickett is one of Richmond’s more important players.
He is an enormously underrated wingman who does the team things so well and puts his body on the line.
Pickett’s final quarter of seven disposals, three inside 50s and two goal assists was immense. His non tangible efforts (one percenters) were just as impressive.
What they need to tweak for next week
Richmond must bring pressure and intensity for all four quarters this Friday night against Collingwood.
It was up for almost three quarters against the Crows, but fell away in that third term.
As mentioned earlier, any lapses against the Magpies will likely end badly for the Tigers.
Andrew Slevison
The Key Takeaway: If the Saints bring the heat, anything is possible in 2023
St Kilda were the number one pressure team in Round 2, hunting as a pack against a Western Bulldogs side that many predict to play finals this year.
We all know they’re missing a lot of key personnel, but one thing Ross Lyon has driven publicly to fans is bringing the effort, and boy oh boy haven’t they delivered that in spades in the first two rounds.
They face Essendon and Gold Coast in the next two weeks. If they continue to bring the heat, they’ll start 2023 with a 4-0 record and the added bonus of blooding senior games into their lesser known talent.
The Undroppables: Marcus Windhager
Windhager was used a sub on the weekend and with the news that Jack Steele will undergo surgery to repair a broken collar bone, Windhager will start in the centre bounce on Saturday night.
There was a lot of hype around this kid in the off-season and with Steele expected to be sidelined for the next month, it’s time for Windhager to shoulder his share of that midfield load.
What no one is talking about: St Kilda’s back six have been elite
They might not have the superstar defenders in the competition, but as a collective, St Kilda’s backline is elite.
The likes of Dougal Howard, Callum Wilkie and Josh Battle are responsible for quelling the influence of the best forwards in the game and they did so on the weekend.
Aaron Naughton, at his best, is one of the best marking forwards in the game but Howard claimed his scalp on Saturday, as he did Matt Taberner’s in round 1.
Harrison Jones would want some good service on Saturday otherwise it could be a long, quiet night for the young tall.
Hugh Fitzpatrick
The positive: Swans get a taste of life after Buddy
The Swans were forced to leave Lance Franklin out of the side due to suspension and we saw a glimpse of what the future for Sydney without Buddy looks like and it’s incredibly bright.
Cult-hero Joel Amartey kicked four goals in the first-half whilst Logan McDonald had a career day with 5.1. At just 23 and 20 years of age respectively, Amartey and McDonald will make a wonderful partnership with the likes of Hayden McLean, Will Hayward and Isaac Heeney.
The negative: Soft fortnight ahead of massive month
It was a near perfect display from the Swans against a disappointing Hawks side but we didn’t see anything we didn’t already know from Sydney.
The Swans have had two soft games to open their 2023 campaign and would’ve preferred some tougher competition ahead of a gruelling month.
The Swans next four opponents are Melbourne at the MCG, Port Adelaide at home, Richmond at the Adelaide Oval during Gather Round and finally a Grand Final rematch against Geelong at GMHBA Stadium.
The percentage boosting wins against the Gold Coast Suns and Hawthorn are miles away from the teams they are set to face in the next four weeks.
What no one is talking about: SCG fortress returns
Sydney’s 81-point demolition of Hawthorn is their ninth consecutive win at the Sydney Cricket Ground which hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the Swans as of late.
The Swans had lost 19 of their past 38 matches at the SCG dating back to 2018. The Swans have turned around their poor form at the historic venue and have turned the SCG into a fortress.
The overreaction: Buddy is not a walk-up starter each week
After Saturday’s performance, albeit against an incredibly weak side, the question for the Swans now is whether Buddy is in their best 22 and one could make the argument that he is not.
Franklin always poses as a threat but given his age and limited preparation, youngsters like Amartey, McLean and McDonald have begun to step up. Swans coach John Longmire has already admitted that Franklin will not play every game and if Amartey and McDonald can share goals between them on a regular basis, Buddy may be squeezed out.
Charles Goodsir
The Key Takeaway: The Eagles’ midfield is revived
West Coast’s engine room looked a completely different beast against the Giants, clearly taking to heart the criticism they received the week before.
It was the champion Eagle trio of Tim Kelly, Luke Shuey and Dom Sheed running rampant at Optus, each collecting over 20 disposals.
This showing came in stark contrast to West Coast’s performance against North Melbourne, in which they were ineffective around the contest and struggled to win the ball.
If this midfield turnaround proves to be sustainable, the Eagles look set to be a much more competitive team throughout the season.
The Overreaction: Jamaine Jones is the answer
A key adjustment to West Coast’s strategy on Sunday was the use of Jamaine Jones.
The defender was given license to push forward off the backline, running aggressively and kickstarting the Eagles’ ball movement, serving as almost another midfielder.
This move paid dividends for West Coast, with Jones racking up 27 disposals and tearing apart the game, putting together a stellar performance.
If Jones can be impactful in this role every week, it adds a completely new dynamic to the Eagles.
The Positive: Midfield resurgence is perfectly timed
While it is pivotal for West Coast’s engine room to remain potent if they are to continue playing competitive football throughout the season, it couldn’t have come at a better time to swing into form.
The Eagles are currently looking ahead to next week’s Western Derby against Fremantle, one of the biggest clashes of the year for both WA clubs.
The Dockers are off to an 0-2 start, with their forward line woes overshadowing issues in the midfield.
If West Coast’s mids play to the standard they did against GWS, Fremantle look to have their hands full.
Jack Makeham
The Key Takeaway: Dogs talls ineffective again
It was another disappointing performance for the Bulldogs’ forward group, with Aaron Naughton, Sam Darcy and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan combining for just two goals, both courtesy of Naughton.
While the Dogs’ attack wasn’t quite as tall as the squad in Round 1, with Rory Lobb missing the clash with the Saints due to injury, they were equally as quiet.
With Lobb set to miss further time and Darcy being subbed out in the third quarter, it will be interesting to see if the experiment of the supersized Bulldogs may have already come to an end.
If Luke Beveridge elects to continue with his current attack, a complete turnaround will be needed next week if the Dogs are to put up a fight against Brisbane.
The Positive: Tim English
It wasn’t a performance to remember for almost the entirety of the Bulldogs, yet Tim English stood out as the exception.
He was clearly the best afield for the Dogs, racking up 21 touches and 26 hitouts, capping off the strong showing with a goal.
While the majority of the Bulldogs list has been far from their best footy to start the season, English has been doing everything he can to keep his club afloat throughout their first two games.
If Luke Beveridge can remedy the issues around the field, expect English to be recognised for his efforts much more than he currently is.
The Negative: Outworked again
The common theme from the Bulldogs’ first two matches is their inability to match the work rate displayed by their opposition.
The Dogs were completely overrun by Melbourne’s elite ball movement and sheer ferocity in Round 1, dropping the contest by 50 points.
St Kilda outworked them in a different fashion, applying relentless pressure that completely stifled the Dogs’ midfield.
While the engine room of the Bulldogs has been lauded for years as one of the best in the competition, this is the second week in a row where they simply couldn’t match the effort put in front of them.
What they need to tweak for next week: Forwards impacting the contest
Luke Beveridge will need to move the magnets around ahead of their next clash with the Lions.
The Bulldogs’ attack is completely ineffective, rendering it near-impossible for the club to even get close to establishing scoreboard dominance.
Whether it’s a new approach to going inside 50 or going away from the super tall forward line, the Bulldogs need to change something immediately.
Jack Makeham