Round 1 of the 2024 AFL season is in the books and there is plenty to take out of it.
Former Collingwood coach and superstar Nathan Buckley has put together his takeaways in The Buck Stops Here.
On his mind this week were the failures of the Grand Finalists, the remarkable Swans, Harry McKay's goal kicking and more.
Read his thoughts below:
1 - Collingwood and Brisbane’s early-season struggles
“The Pies and the Lions, I don't need to separate them because they're in the same boat at zero and two.
“And they're even using each other as an example of how things can drop off really quickly.
“But both the coaches (Craig McRae and Chris Fagan) have had to front the press after losses that they weren't expected to have and they realise that there's a fair bit of work to do.
“This just shows you how marginal the game is.
“We shouldn't be surprised. They were the best teams of 2023.
“They played in the Grand Final six months ago, but teams have had the off-season to look at Collingwood first and foremost, but Brisbane (as well), and to unpack how they want to challenge the best teams in the competition.
“In the Sydney v Collingwood game, Sydney’s work rate and efficiency across the ground was evident, and if you are just one or two steps off, you get exposed. That's what we've seen.
“Collingwood would be more worried because they actually started to kick the ball away in the back half in the third quarter and we haven't seen that for a long time. So some uncharacteristic turnovers in their back half.
“The defending side of things I think that'll work itself out. Collingwood are a very attacking team in terms of their defence. So if they don't stick that first tackle, and GWS got out against them in the Opening Round, and Sydney got out against them in Round 1.
“That defence is very aggressive and if it doesn't come off, you can get scored on heavily, end to end, and that's what we've seen.
“With Brisbane, that's a long road trip.
“They've got their excuses, a long road trip across to Freo, but Freo were ready for them and they played particularly well.
“We've got to remember it's a long season, so there's two games that they've failed to get the result.
“Collingwood play St Kilda on Thursday which becomes a massive must-win game for them to jump into the season.
“Brisbane have the bye. In two weeks’ time on Easter Thursday, Collingwood play Brisbane. So Brisbane won't have a win and Collingwood are either going to be 0-3 or 1-2.
“The winner or loser of that game, like talk about a Grand Final replay with actual repercussions going into the year already.
“They're behind the eight ball and they've got to find a way, but both stacked with talent and you just expect that they will find their mojo in some way in the near future.”
2 - Remarkable Swans
“Sydney have just been a remarkable team in this first two weeks.
“The eight quarters that they've displayed have been huge and their coach John Longmire is rightfully very happy with it.
“No (Luke) Parker, no (Callum) Mills, no (Taylor) Adams, even though they didn't have ‘Tay’ in previous years. But young players have stood up.
“(Isaac) Heeney pretty much best on ground both weeks, (Chad) Warner in the best players both weeks, (Errol) Gulden who was their best player last year who just continues to go from strength to strength.
“I love their medium sized defenders. (Nick) Blakey's obviously been speculated on and pumped up a lot and adds a great deal to their run and carry, (Tom) McCartin as the key back and then (Dane) Rampe and (Lewis) Melican as the medium.
“I just think that they're so solid out the back that their runners can go and get the job done from half-back to forward. When they're playing their best football, they cover the ground better than any other team in transition and they're the hardest and cleanest in the little circle.
“They're maximising everything that they've got. John Longmire has put squads like this together before. We saw one in the early 2010s when they end up going and winning a flag and playing Sydney around the 2012/13 years, they just covered the ground so much.
“It was so hard to find time and space when you had the ball and they seemed to get out on you when they had it.
“That's exactly what it looked like on Friday night. Sydney's in good shape.”
3 - Clarry repays the faith
“Melbourne supporters would be rapt after seeing their best players stand up, their system prevail and Clayton Oliver come through with the goods.
“We like to sit here and think that we know everything that Clayton Oliver's done, hasn't done, but a lot of it has been speculated.
“The thing that I loved about it when interviewed after the game said, ‘You look like you're top of the ground, you're running and you're in the clear’, and he said, ‘No, absolutely not. I’ve still got a lot of work to do and there's still going to be challenges for me’.
“So that attitude alone, I’m rapt for the young man that is Clayton Oliver. We don't know what others are going through. He's clearly gone through a bit, it seems like he's made some poor decisions and it's got on top of him, but to see him come back and to be doing what he does, and he's done this year on year on year that we've witnessed and we've taken it for granted.
“Clayton Oliver is one of the best footballers and most consistent footballers of the last few years. His teammates, his best mates looked him in the eye and said, ‘Mate, if you keep doing this, we can't abide by your decisions in our environment’.
“That's a hard stance to take, but sometimes tough love is everything that someone needs.
“Yes, as a professional footballer and what we saw him do on the weekend on the MCG is awesome. He's still going to have his teammates there, he's going to have his family there and he's got a journey even beyond football that he is trying to get right for himself and he's learning all the way.”
4 - Goal kicking is king
“Goal kicking is king.
“If Harry McKay hadn't have done the work on his goal kicking, Carlton could well be 0-2.
“What he is doing is definitely fuelling his teammates’ belief as much as his own.
“He ended up having seven tackles (against Richmond), he's a big unit. I've seen an energy in him that we didn't see before.
“You can see he's worked hard on it. There's a routine, there's a consistency, there's a belief that's starting to form in him.
“If he hadn't have kicked straight in both of those games, they lose them.
“That's how significant it has been and why it's been such an issue for such a long time.
“He's going to have his moments but jeez, he's been good early.”
5 - Taylor is a competitive beast
“I just needed to put Sam Taylor in there.
“He wasn't the best player on the ground, but that's where the game is set up.
“He and (Nick) Larkey was always going to be a great contest to witness and to view, there was going to be an advantage to Sam Taylor potentially with a more dominant midfield, and it sort of panned out that way especially early.
“But when you're up against another one of the best exponents of his in his position, you've got to set your mark early and Sam Taylor did that. He took three or four intercept marks and put a fist in a couple of others that he couldn't get to and put them 20 metres away.
“His sheer competitiveness and will to be at his best in every contest, to win every contest, it has to emanate through his teammates.
“So not only have you got a player who's got the talent to do his job, but you've got a will and a desire that is at the top level.
“Sam Taylor took Nick Larkey’s one-wood away and he still tried to find other ways, but I'm just so impressed by what I see from the guy. I reckon he makes his teammates better around him because he drives a standard of competitiveness that not many do.”
