Footy’s back!!

What an opening round of AFL that was; a draw on the opening night, an instant classic between two top teams on Friday, and a five-point thriller between two wooden spoon candidates the day after that!

This weekend truly had everything.

Some things change and some things stay the same, and as expected, my beloved Hawks are still shi*house.

Round 1 is always one of the toughest rounds in SuperCoach, but this specific round felt extra tough.

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Drastically under-performing premo’s, “set and forget” ruck Rowan Marshall being not so set and forget after all, and injuries left, right, and centre… I salute you if you’re able to make it to Round 2.

Elite Dadds scored 2004 this week which ranked me at 29,464th.

Despite the carnage in my team, I’m sticking strong to my two early-season rules:

No trades until I boost in Round 3 (unless there’s an injury)
Cash > points

It’s simple, effective, and guarantees long term gain over short term pain!

Anyway, enough from me. Let’s get into the wrap.

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Richmond v Carlton

Tim Taranto (103) had a monstrous game with 32 touches and 8 tackles, but 8 clangers and just 56 disposal efficiency (DE) limited his score to just over a ton
At the time of writing, Sean Darcy is yet to play; so, if he plays poorly, I can tell you right now that Toby Nankervis (112) will be high on my radar as a straight swap replacement
Daniel Rioli (126) also looked sensational off half-back. He’ll be pushing for a top-6 spot this season
Jacob Hopper (67) was very underwhelming, but I’m willing to give him another week to prove himself
Collecting 15 contested possessions among his 25 touches boosted Patrick Cripps’ (121) score significantly
There was never any doubt that Sam Docherty (108) would find the footy no matter what position he was playing in. Many who had the VC on him were probably hoping for more, but I’ll absolutely take it
George Hewett (89) was hot early on but faded toward the end. He’s probably only an option in draft or if he ever gets DPP again (which I highly doubt)
Oli Hollands (56) got enough of the footy but occasionally looked like a dear caught in headlights. I’m very confident in saying he’ll a). either be the sub or get subbed next game, or b). will be straight out of the team when Walsh returns
Lachie Cowan (38) was subbed off at 3QT after suffering hamstring cramp. Luckily it was nothing serious so expect him to be back in the starting 22 next week

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Geelong v Collingwood

Popular mid-price FWD option, Tanner Bruhn (58) looked brilliant when he had the ball but was limited to just 64% time on ground (TOG) and not so many CBA’s.
Esava Ratugolea (55) was pretty average
My heart goes out to Tom Stewart (18) owners. Well, kind of, but also not really. For any non-owners, it’s a great opportunity to get ahead of the pack! Crisis creates opportunity.
Jordan De Goey (130) looked primed to have a career-best year and he’s headed in the right direction so far
For whatever reason, the Cats just let Nick Daicos (129) roam completely free. However, I implore you to not get sucked in by this score; he will get tagged in most, if not all games for the rest of the year after that performance
Scott Pendlebury (129) spent a lot of time in the middle and looked superb. Probably only relevant if he gets DPP, but that doesn’t look likely at this stage
Tom Mitchell (109) was a very popular under-priced premo option earlier on in the year and while he scored well in this game, I don’t think I’ve seen enough to get back on the hype train
Despite the many doubts over his role, Darcy Cameron (103) DOMINATED the ruck split with Mason Cox (69). I need to see one more week of this until I pull the trigger

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North Melbourne v West Coast

Harry Sheezel (114)… OMGGGGGGGGGGGG. What a star! He’s the #1 trade priority this week for everyone who didn’t start with him
A disastrous practice match performance caused many to turn a blind eye to LDU (143), but he showed why he’s capable of taking the next step this season
Jack Ziebell’s (102) return to half-back was slightly appealing, but I don’t think many people expected him to be that good with the likes of Luke McDonald (110), Sheezel, and Josh Goater (57) all roaming across the flank as well. It’ll be interesting to see how Aaron Hall impacts him when he returns
Charlie Comben (83) had a very solid game and the injury to Tristan Xerri (35) will massively boost his job security (JS)
Ben Cunnington (58) didn’t live up to expectations
Will Phillips (65) came on as a sub and had just 53% TOG but scored insanely well! He’s done enough to earn himself a spot in the starting 22 which is bad for Tom Powell (72) owners
Josh Goater (57) was a popular, albeit over-priced, cheapie option. He was solid, and I guess he scored 52 more points than Liam Jones…
Luke Shuey (112) looked great but from a very pessimistic point of view, it’s only a matter of time until he does a hammy
Jeremy McGovern (108) backed up his terrific practice match performance with a 10-mark performance
Dom Sheed (89) looks like a good replacement for Hopper
Reuben Ginbey (85) racked up TWELVE tackles in his debut
Noah Long (63) was solid but Campbell Chesser (20) was very quiet

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Port Adelaide v Brisbane

Welcome to Port Adelaide, JHF (136)! He looked sen-sa-tio-nal in the middle and is definitely one of the best mid-price forward line options at the moment! Especially if you need to fix up your Fyfe situation; wait another week to see if the scoring continues
Junior Rioli (126) is the spark the Power forward line desperately needed. Don’t get sucked in though, he won’t score like this every week
Everyone was so starstruck by Connor Rozee (97) in pre-season that we all forgot about Zac Butters (101)! It’s only a matter of time until he cops a tap on the shoulder and misses the next month though
Scott Lycett (87) did enough in the ruck for his owners. Congrats if you picked him!
I thought Daniel Rich’s (112) role would be pretty minimal this year, but I guess not. 26 touches, 4 marks, and a goal
Josh Dunkley (108) had a pretty quiet game by his standards with just 3 kicks out of his 19 touches to go along with ZERO marks and no scoreboard impact. Luckily, he racked up 9 tackles
I paid up for Lachie Neale (95) and I was not rewarded
Conor McKenna (93) made a brilliant return to footy with an outstanding performance off half-back. Get him in your defence if he isn’t already
After all the pre-season hype, Will Ashcroft (55) had a very quiet debut. This kid’s a star though, I can assure you he’ll bounce back
Darcy Wilmot (51) is a solid bench option, but I definitely wouldn’t trust him on field. The Lions will be looking to make changes after a horror Round 1 loss and he could be one of the names on the chopping block

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Melbourne v Western Bulldogs

I don’t care how well he played or how many CBA’s he had or how many goals he kicked, the fact that Kozzy Pickett (144) only got two weeks for that is an absolute joke
He may have had less CBA’s than Brodie Grundy (69), but Max Gawn (140) looked back to his best
Rumours of more rotations for Clayton Oliver (113) and Christian Petracca (97) were well and truly put to bed. They had the most CBAs for the Dees by a country mile
Kade Chandler (93) will be hot property if he can back up this performance next week
Angus Brayshaw (89) was good off half-back despite not attending any CBs
Judd McVee (50) looked solid on debut, unlike Bailey Laurie (21)

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If Tim English (134) stays injury-free this season, he will be the #1 come the end of the season
Vintage Adam Treloar (132)… Is that you??
Tom Liberatore (118) and Jack Macrae (106) picked up the slack left by Josh Dunkley’s departure
Ed Richards (106) continued his great form that began at the back end of last season, but when he plays well, Bailey Dale (56) does not
Oskar Baker (43) couldn’t replicate his pre-season heroics
Toby McLean (21) came on as a sub and collect just five touches. He could actually be at quite an attractive price in a few week’s time… Let’s just hope he cracks the 22 soon
Liam Jones (5) had an absolute stinker of a first quarter and then copped a knock to the head and was subsequently subbed out. Disappointing for owners, but reports are suggesting he should be right to play this week against the Saints who gave up a TRUCK LOAD of marks to Fremantle’s defence

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Gold Coast v Sydney

WITTSY (140)!!! Racked up 51 hit-outs against a helpless Peter Ladhams (72)
Matthew Rowell (119) and Touk Miller (113) did their best in the midfield, but Rowell could be looked at by the MRP for a high bump on Justin McInerny (71)
Noah Anderson (93) Unfortunately didn’t live up to Rainman’s hype
Sam Flanders (64) was on track for a putrid score until he junked up in the last quarter
Bodhi Uwland (59) looked solid on debut
Despite racking up 26 touches and 23 kicks, Charlie Constable’s (56) disposal efficiency was woeful. Hopefully he keeps his spot in the side
I recall saying not to pick key forwards in struggling teams, so my heart goes out to Ben King (19) owners who didn’t get the memo
Dane Rampe (150) and Jake Lloyd (100) got a heap of the footy in defence
The Errol Gulden (115) hype was real!!
Chad Warner (114) was unstoppable, and his score could’ve been even bigger if he converted his three points into goals
Dylan Stephens (111) had a standout performance off the wing
Callum Mills (94) had just 10 CBAs and doesn’t look like an option at all this year
The SC Bandit’s man, Braeden Campbell (79), looked very impressive

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GWS v Adelaide

My late, LATE decision to drop Stephen Coniglio (143) to bring in Ridley ultimately proved to be a terrible one. I’m glad I’ve got Ridley, but Cogs looks set to be a top-3 forward this year
Another GWS bloke I left out, Tom Green (134), picked up where he left off at the end of pre-season. It looks likely that one of my underperforming premo’s will have to make way for him next week
Finn Callaghan (101) also continued his incredible start of the year! If you have Hopper and don’t have Callaghan, this is one of the easiest trades you’ll get to make
Matthew Flynn (88) showed promise as a solo ruck without big boy Preussy
Josh Kelly (80) and Lachie Whitfield (40) were both subbed off with concussion and will miss this week’s clash against the Bombers
Josh Rachele (116) kicked three goals and interestingly had 9 CBAs
Jordan Dawson (97) seemed flat and lethargic but he got a fair bit of the footy so who really cares?
Luke Pedlar (83) had no CBAs but still managed to have a large impact on the game
Max Michalanney (62) barely missed a kick all day
“Generational star recruit”, Izak Rankine (61), single-handedly lost the game for the Crows in a debut to remember! 2.5 and 38% DE… ELITEEEEEE!1!1!1
Rory Laird (50)… You’re going to hear a lot about him over the course of this week, so I’ll refrain from tearing him a new one. Only positive from it (for me) was that I had Bont captain instead
Cya later Shane McAdam (32). Was he just trying to copy Kozzy??

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Hawthorn v Essendon

James Sicily (111) could be a lock for D1 given how shi* the Hawks are and how much time the ball is going to spend down back this season
Hawthorn were rotating a lot of youngsters through the middle, but a starting three of James Worpel (97), Jai Newcombe (70), and Cam Mackenzie (93) seems set in stone
Josh Ward (100) and Will Day (60) had eight CBAs each, but Day’s uncharacteristically poor disposal efficiency saw him score a whopping 38 points less than what he did in AFL Fantasy!
Brad Scott’s “high possession” game worked a treat for Mason Redman (118) and Jordan Ridley (107)
Despite not getting any CBAs, Archie Perkins (114) was fantastic up forward with three goals, three points, and 20 touches
I was expecting a tag to go the way of Darcy Parish (109) but went to Zach Merrett (92) instead *for the first half at least*
Will Setterfield (99) got off to a flyer in his new colours and even attended the most CBAs for the Bombers!
Jye Menzie (68) and Alwyn Davey (58) provided a lot of pressure up forward
And finally, in some more wholesome news, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti (18) made his long-awaited return to footy

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St Kilda v Fremantle

Is Mason Wood (108) an option?? Had 128 in the practice game and backed up again on the weekend
Jack Sinclair (104) looks as though he can maintain the form he had last season
Both Jack Steele (90) and Rowan Marshall (80) were very underwhelming but I’m confident they’ll bounce back
Mattaes Phillipou (76) kicked a goal on debut and was very impressive
Liam Stocker (74) was a popular pick in defence and rightfully so! If Liam Jones does end up missing this week, Stocker is the next best replacement if you don’t have enough money to go up
As expected, Jack Bytel (71) was on tagging duties in place of Marcus Windhager, but surprisingly tagged Caleb Serong (70) instead of Andrew Brayshaw (70)! I guess it worked in the end… Lesson learnt = never doubt Ross the Boss
Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (52) will build into the season and become an immediate option when he gets DEF status
Ho-ly mo-ly… Between the Dockers defenders: Luke Ryan (171), Brennan Cox (154), Hayden Young (137), Alex Pearce (92), Heath Chapman (90), and Nathan Wilson (83), a whopping SEVENTY marks were taken! Hence why I’m hoping to hold Liam Jones…
Sean Darcy (96) was heaps quiet early on but luckily managed to get going after half time
Nat Fyfe (26) I tried warning y’all that Fyfey was one of the biggest traps in the game… He’s not gonna kick three goals every game like he did in pre-season

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