THE WESTERN Bulldogs and Brisbane must already defy the odds if they are to challenge as many expect this year.

The Lions were thrashed by Port Adelaide and the Bulldogs well beaten by Melbourne in an enthralling opening round of the 2023 season.

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The margins of the defeats – the Lions lost by 54 and the Bulldogs by 50 – leave two teams tipped to contend needing to defy history.

Since 2000, only 10 of the 44 teams to lose by 50-plus points in the opening round have gone on to make the finals.

The furthest any team has gone is a preliminary final, with Geelong (2004) and North Melbourne (2015) managing that after heavy defeats in round one.

That leaves the Lions and Bulldogs with plenty of work to do, with Hawthorn facing the same history after its 59-point loss to Essendon, although the Hawks have been tipped to struggle in 2023.

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It was the first time since 2016 that at least three matches have been decided by 50-plus points.

Since 2000, 34 of the 44 teams to win by 50-plus points in the opening round have made the finals.

Of those 34, eight have claimed the premiership – including Geelong last year after the Cats belted the Bombers in round one.

Another five teams have reached the Grand Final, meaning 13 of the 46 grand finalists since 2000 were winners by 50-plus points in the opening round.

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It was seven years ago that the Bulldogs and Sydney were two of four teams to win by at least 50 points in the first round and they went on to meet in the Grand Final.

In that year, the four teams who suffered heavy defeats – Essendon, Collingwood, Fremantle and Brisbane – all finished in the bottom seven.