Mick Malthouse’s side comprehensively lost its first three games of the pre-season, but has turned the corner since and was much too strong for the Dockers at the MCG.
The visitors kept pace through the first three terms and were within a kick at the final change, but the Magpies ran out the game by far the better, with Anthony Rocca kicking three of his six goals in the last quarter en route to a 26-point victory.
In other round one results, the Lions’ round three and four opponents, Sydney and Port Adelaide, went down by two and nine points to St Kilda and Geelong respectively, while round five adversaries Hawthorn thumped Melbourne by 104 points.
Reigning wooden spooners Richmond started positively with a 30-point win over Carlton, the Western Bulldogs edged out Adelaide by three points in an absolute thriller and Essendon eclipsed North Melbourne by 55 points.
Lions co-captain and star forward Jonathan Brown is part of a log-jam at the top of the goal-kicking charts. Brown, Rocca, Lance Franklin and Matthew Lloyd all started the season with bags of six majors.
Richmond 17.7 (109) d Carlton 11.13 (79)
The Chris Judd era didn’t start the way Blues fans would have liked; by contrast, Richmond supporters would have been thrilled by a first-up win. Carlton looked set to run away with the contest in the second term but with Matthew Richardson booting five goals, the Tigers hauled their way back into the game – and then some.
Geelong 15.15 (105) d Port Adelaide 14.12 (96)
The grand final replay was a much tighter contest than last year’s decider, although for the first half it appeared the Cats would post another convincing win. Geelong led 37 points just before half-time, but then had to withstand a spirited Power comeback.
Collingwood 16.15 (111) d Fremantle 13.7 (85)
The first three quarters of this clash ebbed and flowed, with the Magpies starting the better before Fremantle worked its way back into the contest to lead by eight points entering time-on in the third term. From that point on, however, it was all Collingwood, with Mick Malthouse’s side kicking eight of the game’s final 11 goals. Injury-prone Magpie Sean Rusling suffered another shoulder injury.
St Kilda 6.15 (51) d Sydney 6.13 (49)
In a typically scrappy clash at Docklands, the Saints followed on from their NAB Cup triumph with a two-point win over the 2005 premiers. Sam Fisher, Nick Riewoldt and Robert Harvey were all solid contributors for the Saints, while a dramatic finish saw Sydney youngster Jared Moore mis-direct a left-foot snap that would have won the game for the Swans.
Western Bulldogs v 19.12 (126) d Adelaide 18.15 (123)
The Bulldogs and Crows put on the best match of the opening round – and it was the Dogs who celebrated the 300th game of skipper and stalwart Brad Johnson. Johnson kicked three late goals to seal a fairytale result, after Adelaide – who weathered an early Bulldogs' storm – seemed to have the game within its grasp. Crows midfielder Brent Reilly will miss six weeks with a broken wrist.
Hawthorn 23.16 (154) d Melbourne 6.14 (50)
New Melbourne coach Dean Bailey started his coaching career in nightmarish fashion, with Hawthorn dominant in every facet of the contest. While the majority of Melbourne players struggled, the Hawks had good players everywhere, led by Sam Mitchell with 34 possessions. Excitement machine Lance Franklin booted six goals for Hawthorn.
Essendon 19.8 (122) d North Melbourne 9.13 (67)
Essendon delivered an impressive debut win for first-time coach Matthew Knights, but it may have come at a cost – veteran forward Scott Lucas is expected to miss 10 weeks with a posterior cruciate ligament. North Melbourne began the brighter but it was Essendon’s game after quarter-time, the Bombers booting 17 goals to the Kangaroos’ five. North Melbourne’s last three losses have now come by an aggregate 248 points.
