ST KILDA, Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs were considered to be the three biggest threats to Collingwood in 2011. One week into the season and the gap between them and the Magpies might be a wee bit larger than we might have thought.
The Pies mainly toyed with Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium on Saturday. We're attributing Port's third quarter comeback down to boredom on Collingwood’s behalf more than anything else. But the Saints, Hawks and the Bulldogs all have their concerns.
St Kilda managed just six goals against Geelong on Friday night in a game that was so poor for so long that when a graphic appeared during the Channel Seven broadcast promoting a replay of the match the following day, Dennis Cometti told viewers to skip straight to the second half.
More gravely, Saints coach Ross Lyon talked in the summer about shaking up the side and giving the kids a run, but he opted for a tried and true outfit against the Cats and the result was disappointing.
He also admitted in interviews the following morning that the club had selected several talls in the last few drafts but none were yet ready to command a senior berth and provide Nick Riewoldt with the sort of help he so clearly needs. So, the Saints remain too Riewoldt-centric, are too slow through the midfield and their talls aren’t developing. Lyon has much on his plate.
And it would particularly gall Lyon that his side wasn't able to defend a lead with just 50 seconds to go; very un-St Kilda-like.
Hawthorn can take some comfort from its first half in Adelaide, in which it played some sublime football.
But the concern here is the second half, which was punctuated by turnover after turnover that resulted in goal after goal to the Crows. You can have the best zone in the world, but it falls down quickly if players can't hit a target from 10 metres away and allow their opponents easy goals on the break. And some of the more experienced Hawks were the main culprits.
The Hawks talked themselves up over summer over all the lessons learned over the past two seasons. But the killer instinct seems to have gone missing because they had Adelaide five goals down in the second term but couldn't put them to the sword. Collingwood would have.
Now to the Bulldogs, who would appear to have the most concerns. Smashed in possessions, smashed in desire, smashed in work rate and unable to handle Essendon's defensive pressure - all parts of the game usually non-negotiable under Rodney Eade. One week in and they’re 16th on the ladder. Who would have thought such a thing possible?
Of his senior players, Eade gave only Robert Murphy a pass mark, and then only just. It's far too early to give up on the Bulldogs, as it is with the Saints and the Hawks, but they’re certainly on notice for next week.
BOMBERS PREPARE FOR TAKE-OFF
Great win by Essendon, but James Hird's next challenge is staring him right in the face.
The Bombers are the only club yet to step on to an airplane this year in any of the NAB Cup, NAB Challenge or the home and away season. The Bombers didn’t even leave Victoria for a training camp.
Under Matthew Knights, Essendon won just three of 17 matches outside Victoria, so while the 55-point thrashing of the Western Bulldogs on Sunday was all well and good, a sign of real progress will be a win on the road, which is the message Hird will be preaching all this week as the Bombers make their way to Sydney.
THE LADDER
Essendon: Matthew Knights also enjoyed a 55-point win in his first game as coach of the Bombers.
Collingwood: Both the execution and the time of the match when he kicked it - just as Port started to press - made Andrew Krakoeur’s goal one of the top-shelf variety.
Carlton: Wonder whether one quarter of football - as good as it was - will translate to three Brownlow votes for Chris Judd.
Adelaide: You knew the Crows were home when Patrick Dangerfield slotted home a goal from the 'Tony Hall Pocket' in the final term. A very impressive second half from Adelaide.
West Coast: Andrew Gaff, wearing No. 3 and tearing it up on the Chris Mainwaring Wing. That was the nice part for the Eagles. The groin injury to Mark LeCras? Not so nice.
Fremantle: Michael Walters might never kick a better goal than the go-ahead goal at the Gabba on Saturday night.
Geelong: Positive for the Cats. Breaking down the Saints in the last 50 seconds to clinch the win. Negative: Six goals for the night.
Melbourne: Really needs James Frawley in the side. He might just be Melbourne's most important player.
Sydney Swans: Nerveless John Longmire drinks from the same ice-water cooler as Paul Roos.
St Kilda: Nice bit of sugar-coating by Ross Lyon about his team's resolve. But he'd be mortified that his men could not hold a lead with less than a minute to go.
Brisbane Lions: A brave effort against the Dockers, all things considered. But the injury list is gruesome, considering it's only round one.
North Melbourne: Will find it really hard to back up after the Perth sweat-fest with just a six-day break before facing Collingwood at Etihad.
Hawthorn: If Alastair Clarkson's body language at the post-match presser is any guide, a long, hard and nasty week is looming at Waverley Park. And rightly so.
Richmond: Great third quarter. And Jack Riewoldt is a very, very clever footballer.
Port Adelaide: Lack of star power is going to hurt this team all year. Might not win a game away from home.
Western Bulldogs: Impressive debut from Lucas Markovic, whose story is one of persistence.
Gold Coast: Game week. All roads lead to the Gabba.
TWITTERATI
Hey thanks for all the msgs, I'm all good 14 stitchers in the mouth, it was all fair play by Farin [sic] Ray! Great win Cats! - Geelong's Joel Selwood (@joelselwood14) after his collision on Friday night.
Crows and hawks will both be there about this year. Dockers would be rapt to get away with that, lions brave in defeat. 2 great games! Gold Coast's Josh Fraser (@jfraser17) gives his assessment on Saturday night’s action.
Off to recovery! Sleepless nights are back post game, awesome... Collingwood's Scott Pendlebury (SP_10) on the less glamorous side of league footy.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
With Adam Selwood receiving 14 stitches at the Epworth and Gary Ablett cruising down Cavill Avenue, Friday night at the MCG was Jim Bartel's time to shine. He lifted appreciably after half-time, kicked a brilliant goal early in the last term and played a huge role in Geelong’s one-point triumph over St Kilda.
IF YOU ONLY SEE ONE GAME NEXT WEEKEND…
History in the making as Gold Coast makes its AFL debut, at home to Carlton at the Gabba on Saturday night. Plus you get Gary Ablett head to head with Chris Judd as an added bonus. Mind you, the remote control at the Front and Square residence will be getting a fair working over with Fremantle hosting Geelong at the same time.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
