THE CLASH between Collingwood and Port Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday will pit two of the most exciting teams in the opening round against each other after some early ball-movement trends emerged from the season's first nine games.
The contrast between teams who were willing to move the ball forward at pace and those who preferred to go slow was stark during a thrilling start to 2023, with speed and dare two traits that were rewarded.
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The Magpies and Power led the way for those teams that took the game on in their own ways and reaped the rewards, while West Coast, Gold Coast and the Western Bulldogs - who all lost in round one - were among those that ranked poorly.
Fremantle was the least efficient team of the round, ranking No.1 for disposals, marks and switches, and bottom two for scores per inside 50 (18th) and kick forward percentage (17th) in its loss to St Kilda.
The Dockers' corridor use was high, albeit not in a way that challenged the opposition before their defence was set.
Corridor use from defensive 50, R1 2023
1. Port Adelaide, 2. Fremantle, 3. Collingwood, 4. Brisbane, 5. Hawthorn, 6. Essendon, 7. Carlton, 8. Sydney, 9. Gold Coast, 10. Melbourne, 11. Geelong, 12. Adelaide, 13. West Coast, 14. St Kilda, 15. Western Bulldogs, 16. GWS, 17. Richmond, 18. North Melbourne
Port Adelaide and Collingwood revealed themselves to be two of the boldest teams in the competition in the opening round, ranking No.1 and No.3 respectively for corridor use when coming out of the defensive 50.
The style was highly effective, with both teams also ranking in the top four for converting rebound 50s into inside 50s, turning possession chains into scores, and scores per inside 50.
Magpies defenders John Noble, Darcy Moore and Nick Daicos and wingman Josh Daicos combined for 19 rebound 50s and 29 score involvements, highlighting the Magpies' ability to launch deep scoring chains.
While the Magpies' style was evident under Craig McRae on the way to a preliminary final in 2022, that quartet averaged less than 15 score involvements a game as a combination last season, almost half their output against the Cats last Friday.
Port Adelaide, the best team of the round for turning possession chains into scores in its 54-point win over Brisbane, ranked behind the Magpies for turning rebound 50s into inside 50s but was similarly bold with its ball use.
Chain to score percentage for, R1 2023
1. Port Adelaide, 2. GWS, 3. Essendon, 4. Collingwood, 5. Adelaide, 6. Melbourne, 7. North Melbourne, 8. Geelong, 9. Sydney, 10. Hawthorn, 11. West Coast, 12. Western Bulldogs, 13. Brisbane, 14. Richmond, 15. Carlton, 16. Fremantle, 17. St Kilda, 18. Gold Coast
Of the clubs that were less bold out of the back half, the Bulldogs (15th) and West Coast (13th) frequently chose not to use the corridor and struggled to convert rebound 50s to forward entries, ranking 14th and 15th respectively.
North Melbourne (18th) and Greater Western Sydney (16th) also preferred the boundary but were highly efficient at scoring from forward entries, allowing them to kick winning scores.
The draw between Richmond and Carlton, interestingly, saw both teams rank in the bottom two for playing on from marks, while both also struggled to turn possession chains into scores.
Fremantle's clash with St Kilda provided arguably the biggest contrast in styles when the two teams had the ball, with the Saints ranking No.2 for kick forward percentage and Fremantle 17th.
Ross Lyon's team also took 17 bounces compared to the Dockers' five, with Jack Sinclair, Bradley Hill, Jade Gresham and Ryan Byrnes combining for 13 of those.
Having faced a St Kilda team last Sunday that repeatedly clogged the Dockers' forward half, how Justin Longmuir adjusts in round two against North Melbourne will be one of the most interesting aspects of this weekend.
The Magpies' clash with Port Adelaide, however, promises to deliver on pure excitement if both teams continue to challenge their opponents with daring ball-use out of the back half.
