It was only fitting that the AFL’s long-awaited return would see four games decided by less than two goals, a draw in the Tigers-Collingwood blockbuster and of course, of all clubs, the Gold Coast Suns belting the West Coast Eagles at Carrara. 

We waited nearly three months for this, with footy fans, for the most part, treated to an exceptional round of games. As for the writers and analysts among us, well we actually get to discuss immediate happenings, rather than debating the best back pocket from 1978, or having to be subject to anymore of those loathsome comparisons to a certain basketballer who played for the Chicago Bulls in the 1990s. 

Last week we posed five questions ahead of the Round Two re-opening, and here are our answers.

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SO, IS COLLINGWOOD A LEGITIMATE PREMIERSHIP THREAT?

Quite likely. In the first quarter the Pies had the Tigers on the ropes, kicking 4 goals to a single Richmond behind, with Collingwood seamlessly taking off from their Round One evisceration of the Bulldogs.

While the Pies led for the entirety of the night, they couldn’t seal the deal, adding just a solitary goal after quarter time, and ultimately having to settle for a draw against the reigning champs. 

Clearly however, Collingwood revealed themselves capable of matching the Tigers, a task precious few in this league seem capable of at the moment, emphasised by the fact it’s now 14 games in a row without a single Richmond loss.

There’s plenty the Pies can take from their MCG stalemate, particularly amongst the progression of so many of their less heralded stars.

Josh Daicos had his best game yet in the black and white, registering 24 touches, 11 of which were contested, while the Brown brothers continue to look dangerous. Taylor Adams excelled winning 4 centre clearances and amassing 5 score involvements, while Brayden Maynard ripped off 524 metres gained, some 107 more than anybody on the field.

No, the Pies didn’t end up getting the chocolates on Thursday night, but they’re off to a mightily impressive start in 2020 and would appear to be a legitimate flag threat.

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WHAT’S GOING ON WITH THAT ALASTAIR CLARKSON MASTERPIECE? 

Yes, he’s a coaching legend, has fundamentally changed the game and needs to be careful he doesn’t trip over premiership medallions each morning, yet we might have to pump the brakes slightly on a fully-fledged revival of his Hawks.

While they looked incredibly sharp in their Round One win over the Lions, Hawthorn fell back to earth against Geelong at Kardinia Park, with the Cats reminding the football world of just how extraordinary their perpetual contention status is.

Rather than this game being a Hawk statement opportunity, the match was punctuated by an utter Geelong domination, leading for all but 6 minutes, ultimately running out 61-point winners. 

During the pre-season, and throughout the league hiatus, we asked if anyone at Geelong was capable of supplying scoreboard pressure outside of Tom Hawkins. Well, Geelong booted 17 goals against Hawthorn, posted the second highest score of the round, while Hawkins was held to just 11 touches and failed to register even a single point. 

While the likes of Gary Ablett Jnr, Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood once again were exceptional for the Cats, their win challenged the perceived shallowness of the squad. Gryan Miers had his best game yet, collecting 20 touches and booting 3 goals. Brandon Parfitt laid a round-high 10 tackles to go along with 19 touches, while Quinton Narkle drove the Cats inside-50 five times and contributed a career-high 6 tackles.

With the Blues, Melbourne and Gold Coast their next three opponents, there’s no reason why Geelong won’t soon enough be occupying a very familiar top-4 spot.

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A HELLISH DEMONS-CARLTON MATCH

This Docklands clash between two cellar-dwellers was never destined for greatness, and was indeed a laboured affair, saved only by a thrilling finish. 

While Melbourne ended up holding on to win by a single point, almost blowing a 42-point lead, they did get their maiden 2020 win, in the process extending their winning streak against the Blues to five.

Melbourne’s top-tier talent led the way with exceptional performances by Clayton Oliver and Max Gawn, however this game was characterised by another massive step toward Christian Petracca stardom, with the 2014 #2 draft pick enjoying one of his very best matches, amassing 24 touches, kicking a couple of goals, while also laying a team-high 6 tackles.

As for Carlton, their worries continue despite their admirable comeback.

Going into the match we wondered whether emerging star Jacob Weitering could curtail Tom McDonald’s influence. The answer was a definitive yes, with the Demon forward held to just 9 touches while not contributing a single point. Despite the Blues loss, we can safely say they have a legitimate star defender on their hands in Weitering, who also held Richmond’s Tom Lynch to just 9 touches and a single point in Round One.

With games to come against Geelong, Essendon and a vastly improved St Kilda, Carlton really could be staring down the barrel of a 0-5 start, the likes of which would constitute an unmitigated disaster for the Blue’s faithful. 

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THE SAINTS LOOKED BRILLIANT, THE DOGS LOOKED AWFUL

Going into the match we speculated about the Saint's much-maligned goal kicking woes, and while they improved sharply on that front, posting an exceptional 14.4, this Docklands match-up was more about how brilliant the Saints were, helped by another truly awful Bulldog’s performance. 

The Saints looks far classier, more talented and much better prepared than the Dogs, running out 39-point winners and reminding everyone of how serious their threat could be under Brett Ratten. 

This was an exercise in brutal efficiency by St Kilda, who while only registering 17 more total touches than the Dogs, produced an extraordinary 628 metres gained advantage, with the Saints carving up a disorganised and dispirited Bulldog’s defence. 

Jack Billings had one of his very best games for the Saints, shining with 24 touches and 3 goals. Jade Gresham continues to add strings to his bow as an almost full time midfielder, while Zak Jones provided so much drive, racking up 29 touches and 6 clearances. 

Another recent Moorabbin recruit, Dan Butler, proved a complete pest, not only driving the Saints inside 50 on six occasions, but he scored himself a couple of goals too, while laying a team-high 6 tackles, 4 of which were inside 50, working to completely blanket a Bulldogs defence which had no peace, nor drive on the night.

It  was another insipid display by the Dogs who’ve now lost their last 3 matches by a combined 149 points, winning just 2 of their 12 quarters in the process.

Right now, they sit dead last on the ladder with a percentage of just 47.7. 

They’ll host the Giants at the Docklands this Friday night in a prime-time slot. It’s the kind of fixture they’ve long rallied the AFL to receive, and one which they absolutely must show some improvement in.

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HOW ABOUT THOSE SUNS?

While we absolutely didn’t foresee the Suns dialling up the performance of the round, and perhaps their best win in club history, we did urge fans to keep an eye on their array of exceptional young talent.

And indeed the Suns completely romped home against the Eagles, running out 44-point winners and making a mockery of their massive underdog status. 

And yep, the Gold Coast kids absolutely shone. 

Matt Rowell already appears to be a legitimate superstar in the making with the 18 year old, reigning #1 selection at the draft looking like he’s been in the league for ten years, stealing the show with a 26 possession, 7 tackle performable,  punctuated by 2 goals. 

Noah Anderson, a player picked a spot later at last November’s draft, also looked excellent, helping himself to 19 touches while racking up 323 metres gained- a number only 2 Eagles, Andrew Gaff and Luke Shuey could claim supremacy over.

While each Sun had an average of just 65 games to their name going into their Eagles match up, they looked like a seasoned, well-oiled machine, completely suffocating premiership fancy West Coast, allowing just 5 total goals, keeping legendary forward Josh Kennedy to just 5 touches, while reducing 4-time All-Australian Jeremy McGovern to a frustrated mess, earning himself a week’s vacation curtesy of his punch on Alex Sexton. 

It’s been easy to fix your attention elsewhere, away from the reigning wooden spooners, and who up until last weekend were on an embarrassing 19-game losing streak.

The reality is however this is a club who's rebuilding with serious young talent and which will soon command the footy world’s attention. Saturday’s night's triumph was a massive breakthrough for this long-suffering club, and quite possibly a taste of bigger things to come. 

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