What did you learn from round 1?

[chinggis77]

GWS´kids are better than Gold Coasts, particularly their midfield young guns (and that was with some of GWS´ gun kids out). Gold Coast still only have Ablett and Rischa.

Ablett is still amazing.

Reiwoldt is a shadow of his former self.

Melbourne is in deep trouble. Complete lack of leadership among senior players and lots of question marks over their drafting of late.

Apart from one horror draft & trading period, Brisbane´s recruiting is very underrated. Have found some gems out of nowhere.

Changing game plans, teams adapting to the holding the ball rule, better umpiring has led to some fantastic, open, free flowing footy. Looking forward to the rest of the season!

 

[PJ Power]

Clay Smith will be the best of the draft bunch.

Chad Wingard may have other ideas.

 

[Alfonz]

Has already been said, but it is good to see that the stronger sides are going to be playing attractive football. For all the doom and gloom that people have sprouted about the modern game, matches between Hawthorn/Collingwood/Geelong/Carlton/West Coast/Freo are going to be good spectacles. Throw in Essendon/North/Adelaide/Sydney ... even Brisbane look OK ... there will be plenty of quality games this year.

 

[PieNSauce]

Has already been said, but it is good to see that the stronger sides are going to be playing attractive football. For all the doom and gloom that people have sprouted about the modern game, matches between Hawthorn/Collingwood/Geelong/Carlton/West Coast/Freo are going to be good spectacles. Throw in Essendon/North/Adelaide/Sydney ... even Brisbane look OK ... there will be plenty of quality games this year.

This is true but you will need to put asterisks next to both Collingwood and Hawthorn. Both coaches stated emphatically after the game that it was not the way they would have liked the game to be played. I suspect that when both sides have something approaching a full list, you won't see such free-wheeling footy from either of them.

That said, Bucks has made it clear that Collingwood will attempt to use the corridor a bit more this year but that is high risk. If it doesn't pay dividends early I wouldn't be surprised to see the old structure back in full force.

 

[Suma Magic]

- Port have got great fight and are finally ok to watch. Ebert should be a great pickup which is good to see.
- Saints will have an opportunity to pump games into kids.
- Eagles will be solid, but only after round 4 against the hawks will we know if they are a flag chance.
- the press has gone? Replaced by run and gun footy?
- Hawks are amazing.
- Ballantyne is a ****.
- Roos and Bombers even as expected.
- Lions have some good youngsters.
- blues top 4 if they can get their injured players back.

Fox footy is god.

 

[hoddo22]

-That the Demons suck because they cost me my Multibet.
-Carlton are perennial preseason teasers (GF winners-bad year, winless preseason-good year)
-Essendon are way ahead when it comes to shots after the siren.
-Scott Pendlebury has the ability to be in three places at once, like he was doing in the third quarter and no, I wasn't drinking.
-Buddy is a better kick in traffic from 55 than he is with a set shot from 25.

 

[phantom13]

-BT is a terrible commentator on his own
-More kids will grow up supporting Hawthorn because of Buddy and Cyril than any other team/player combo, im a grown man and i get excited watching them
-Pendlebury and Ablett are in a class of their own
-Saints/Bulldogs "window" is closed and locked
-I am going to enjoy watching Ballantyne suck blokes in all year, i love a mongrel
-Magner plays for his life, the rest of his side play for their bank accounts

 

[Darkhour]

We learnt that the umpiring is going to be as s**t as last years..

 

[Roddy]

We learnt that the umpiring is going to be as s**t as last years..

This.

And all I can say about the hype surrounding us is....it's still a long, long, long way to go.

But I couldn't have asked for a better start!

 

[gregboy55]

My favourite thread series from last year needs to be resumed.

So - what did you learn from round 1, for me:

- Pre-season hype doesn't mean a lot if you make deadly mistakes in the back half.
- Pre-season form becomes irrelevant if you can squeeze out a 7 goal win
- GWS are fooling everyone. They played negative footy and clogged the game up to avoid a thrashing and still got done by ten goals. They will be awful this year, truly awful.
- Pendlebury is a phenomenon. Can't be tackled and has elite skills.
- Buddy still makes the impossible look easy and the easy look a little bit tough
- Melbourne need a lot of work, and Brisbane are heading in the right direction, even without Mitch Clark
- Crows' pre-season form continued and they proved that their tall forwards need to be shown respect.
- Ablett is still amazing
- Freo looked sharp! Showed that the professional cats outfit can be thrown off with some niggle - but they still only JUST scraped through

you learned that from round 1?

 

[Samsara]

That Melbourne suck, and will continue to suck for a long time.

Bleh!

 

[boncer34]

That both WA and SA teams are in the 8. Not sure when that last happened, my guess is yonks ago.
The media expert prediction that freo will be the big mover and saints the big slider could be on the money.
That I saw very little from Richmond, Melb, Dogs and GC to suggest they will rise this year, in relation to their 2011 ladder positions.
Adelaide will be this years Essendon 2011; strong pre-season, solid H&A start, but ultimately land towards the bottom of the 8.
That nothing gets the heart pumping more in footy than an unbelievable goal. Messrs Yarran, Franklin, Wells, Pavlich. Take a bow.

Roll on round 2, when half of what is in this thread will be debunked, and Hobart hosts its first ever AFL game!

Whilst I'm happy your boys are coming to town please don't make things up.

 

[eldorado]

-
-Buddy is a better kick in traffic from 55 than he is with a set shot from 25.

You only just learned this?

 

[Easy Slips Catch]

It is going to be a long year for the Saints and Doggies.

 

[Aucklander]

Sydney: Hard to judge, will wait for quality opposition like Freo which will tell us a bit about both teams.
GWS: Will come last
Richmond: Improvers
Carlton: Top 4
Hawthorn: Everything I expected
Collingwood: Got some good kids
Gold Coast: Will still win some games
Adelaide: Much better than I expected
Freo: Great at home
Geelong: Still a force
North: As expected
Essendon: Undecided
Bulldogs: As expected
Port: Had to improve on last year
Saints: On the slide

 

[Mat the Cat]

The good players are getting even better to watch: Pendlebury, Buddy, Ablett.

Melbourne are going backwards.

 

[HardCaucasian]

Theres alot of Geelong supporters out there not used to losing.

 

[gregboy55]

St kilda need to rebuild, Nick Riewoldt needs to retire quickly.

Brisbane looked very good, even without one of the most dominant players in the league but its hard to tell considering who they played. Simon Black is still a superstar.

Adelaide will play finals barring injuries

Ess, Norf very evenly matched sides that will probably compete for 8th.

Richmond i honestly dont know anymore..

WB have some very good kids and are very very quick and exciting, should win more games this year than most expect but will still be rebuilding for a couple of years.

WC showed we can still win while playing very ordinary football but will get demolished by any half decent quick side this year.

Carlton proved pre season form means FA, look likely to be top 4 this year

Coll are definitely back in the pack and have been over run by their last 2 opponents.. and considering Hawthorn's outs on fri night, injuries aren't an excuse.
Still could warm their way into the season and become dominant again.

Hawks are the best team in the league tight now, especially considering who they have coming back into the team over the next couple of weeks.
A win against the cats should make them heavy flag favorites.

Cats. Losing ling and Ottens showed on the weekend, felt like if those 2 were playing they would have gotten up as usual. Hard to place them atm, should be more clear after Easter Monday.

Port have had a heart transplant over the summer

GWS/GC cant expect too much and most games so far mean FA.

Freo If they can stay healthy, I can see them going deep into September

Melb proved inspiration/motivation count for nothing when your crap, having said that, i expected a lot more fight considering the build up.

 

[SugarShane]

You're not allowed to be excited about your team going well when all they've done is won the NAB Cup and beaten Gold Coast.

 

[TheKanga]

Whilst I'm happy your boys are coming to town please don't make things up.

When has an AFL game been played in Hobart for points?

edit- nvm found it, Fitzroy vs. Melbourne in the 1950's

 

[Evelyn208]

When has an AFL game been played in Hobart for points?

edit- nvm found it, Fitzroy vs. Melbourne in the 1950's

Also, Fitzroy in 1991/92.

 

[TheKanga]

Also, Fitzroy in 1991/92.

Abit before my time
This will be the first H&A game at Bellerive Oval (or Blundstone Arena) however.

 

[Sttew]

WC's Josh Kennedy still doesn't get the respect he deserves. Look at Mike Sheahan's top fifty. Better kick for goal than Cloke will ever be. Dual sided if you watch Kennedy's 2011 goals on Youtube.

The betting agencies aren't even quoting Kennedy as a Coleman Medal prospect yet. Talking about out of sight out of mind.

 

[HurlsMeister18]

I learnt that Geelong have got there handbags back and been drinking too much of there own bathwater. Still amazed at how a team that has won 3 from the last 5 acted over a bit of niggle.

 

[Chains]

I sincerely hope Richmond supporters have finally learnt to keep it in their pants. For the last four years I've had to listen to them tell me how they are going to 'maul us' and 'demolish us' and that the 'giant has awoken' all pre-season long before our inaugural pantsing of them in Round 1. Then after the game they don't even want to talk about football all of a sudden and tell you to 'f*** off' if you bring up the game...

Just learn to be happy with some steady progression from your young list, nothing happens overnight. They've got a nice core building, that is still surrounded by spuds. We've been in the same place, so I can sympathise. Recruiting a 30 year old drug addict isn't going to turn your team around either, that year was especially painful to listen to during March.

Anyway, don't mean to be overly abrasive, but it seriously is becoming an embarrassment. There is a big difference between simply being confident, and utter delusion.