IF THERE are still Neanderthals out there who think footy has gone soft in recent years, round one should have dragged them into the 21st century.
The accidental hits taken by Geelong midfielder Joel Selwood and Brisbane Lions skipper Jonathan Brown were brutal. And we use the word brutal literally, not for effect.
But the players that collided with them, St Kilda's Farren Ray and Fremantle's Luke McPharlin, escaped with no penalty - and rightly so. Both were contesting the ball at the time of the collisions and neither set out to spill opposition blood.
But that's what happened. And that's what happens in AFL footy. Even though our cavemen friends argue the hip and shoulder died with the AFL's tough stance on avoidable head-high contact.
You only had to see Brown attempt to stay on the ground despite suffering multiple facial fractures on Saturday night to see how tough he is.
The photo of him in hospital shown on On The Couch on Monday night - one eye completely blackened and his face severely swollen - only underlined this.
Then we read in The Age on Tuesday that Selwood, despite recovering from a severe bout of concussion and 14 stitches in his lip, had not been ruled out of Geelong's upcoming game against Fremantle on Saturday night.
While Cats football manager Neil Balme said Geelong wouldn't be "silly" enough to play Selwood if he hadn't fully recovered from Ray's knock, he noted Selwood had already returned to the club and was in surprisingly good condition.
Need more evidence the game is as tough as ever?
How about The Advertiser's report Adelaide Crow Rory Sloane played out round one against Hawthorn with a broken thumb and jaw?
Hunt experiment on track
Many raised their eyebrows when the Gold Coast Suns - with more than a little help from the AFL - convinced Karmichael Hunt to turn his back on a glittering rugby career and return to a sport he played briefly as a schoolboy.
Nothing more than a marketing gimmick, some said. Just a cheap shot at the National Rugby League (NRL), others opined.
And while Hunt's signing has undoubtedly given the Suns a recognisable name to help them forge an identity in the former rugby stronghold, he's also shown he can play football.
So much so he will run out with the Suns' side that makes its AFL debut on Saturday night against Carlton at the Gabba.
So much so, it seems Suns coach Guy McKenna regards Hunt as a potential destructive weapon. According to the Gold Coast Bulletin, McKenna's instructions to Hunt in the lead-up to round two have been simple: "Go out there and hurt someone."
McKenna stressed to the paper he was not urging Hunt to do anything outside the rules, just to unleash the ferocious bumps he can deliver off three or four steps.
In that way, McKenna's simply trying to take advantage of the skills Hunt learned in rugby.
But he made it clear Hunt brought more to the table than that, saying he was his third-best defender, behind vice-captain Nathan Bock and deputy-vice-captain Campbell Brown.
"For all the naysayers out there, he's been picked on his merits," McKenna said.
Essendon mania unavoidable
As much as Media Watch wanted to avoid a second consecutive day of Essendon hype, it was impossible.
The inside page of the Herald Sun's sports section was plastered with photos of Bombers, including skipper Jobe Watson, first-year player Dyson Heppell and Mark McVeigh, smiling their way through training.
The photos accompanied a report that Victorian-based Bomber fans watching this Sunday's game against the Sydney Swans on TV would do so on delay of about an hour.
Meanwhile, The Age and The Australian talked up Bombers ruck-forward duo David Hille and Patrick Ryder.
The Age's Michael Gleeson even compared the combination to Bomber ruck-forward greats Simon Madden and Paul Salmon. That's a big call. Even if, as Gleeson argues, Hille and Ryder give the Bombers a flexibility that allows them to exploit the new substitute rule like no other side.
However, the Herald Sun's Mike Sheahan called for calm amid the Bomber mania, pointing out Essendon won its first game under Matthew Knights three years ago in exactly the same fashion as it did under Hird on Sunday - by 55 points against a top-four side from the previous year, North Melbourne in Knights' case.
Essendon finished 12th that year, so we need more evidence before passing judgment on its class of 2011, Sheahan said. Nonetheless, Sheahan said the Bombers were "certain" to push for a finals spot.
Footy likely to win out over cricket
Haven't heard of Stephen Coniglio? Well let Media Watch introduce you to the 17-year-old West Australian who will likely become a household name over the coming years.
Coniglio is a multi-talented youngster who has the sporting world at his feet.
As a footballer, he starred with Swan Districts in its 2010 WAFL Grand Final win. WAFL high performance manager Craig Starcevich told the Herald Sun Coniglio was a mature-bodied midfielder with the talent to make an immediate impact in the AFL next year.
But the West Australian Cricket Association holds equally high hopes for Coniglio the cricketer, an aggressive top-order batsmen.
However, it seems football - and GWS - is set to win the battle for Coniglio's services, the Herald Sun reports.
The tabloid said AFL recruiting sources had indicated Coniglio was "all but certain" to pursue a career in football, with GWS considering picking him with its first selection in this year's NAB AFL Draft.
If this proves correct, it will be a timely win for the AFL after Alex Keath last year turned his back on a career with Gold Coast to play cricket for Victoria.
In short
Former Adelaide captain Mark Ricciuto told The Advertiser the greater endurance demands placed on players by the new substitute rule could force veterans from the game.
Brendan Fevola is threatening to quit the Casey Scorpions if forced to play a second consecutive VFL reserves match this weekend, the Herald Sun reports.
Melbourne last year loaned its chief executive Cameron Schwab $140,000 for a property transaction, The Age reports.
The West Australian lamented the 'curse of the West Coast champions', saying the groin injury Mark LeCras suffered against North Melbourne on Sunday meant that for the fifth consecutive year the club's reigning best and fairest winner had been hit by a serious injury.
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The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
