CAN  YOU feel it? Footy’s back. Adelaide’s demolition of Collingwood last week in Dubai was the appetiser, and this weekend the bulging smorgasbord that is the NAB Cup begins in earnest. The Tigers and Saints fought it out on Friday night, as did the Roos and Bulldogs, and on Saturday Geelong smashed Melbourne, the Blues pipped Port Adelaide and the Bombers gunned down the Lions on the Gold Coast.

Four clubs are still to debut for 2008, as the pre-season competition takes the game to every corner of the nation for a record prize pot and the glory of a NAB Cup premiership.

With 28 degrees now forecast for Perth on Sunday, Fremantle and a new-look West Coast may not need to worry about the league’s extreme heat policy after all. The Eagles will toy with their new-look midfield, while Freo returns refreshed from its Telstra AFL Community Camp in South Africa. Preview.

Heat was never much of a concern for Hawthorn or the Sydney Swans, who take the game to Tasmania on Sunday. The Hawks field a younger side, with veterans including captain Richie Vandenberg retiring after last season. The Swans, like Essendon, are out to prove their best days aren’t behind them. Preview.