Did you get that thing I didn’t send you?

Consider this an alternative “AFL Beat” that will mainly focus on the games I watched/tracked this weekend (and I make no promises of doing this on the reg). Keep in mind that I watch these games post hoc on the WatchAFL app, so I pretty much catch whatever I can on the exercise back the day after or until I make a point of carving out time for the GWS replay in particular. Even this past week when the Giants played at a very reasonable 9:10 PM DFO time, I watched it over the subsequent two days so as not to interfere with other social engagements amongst the living.

The season started off with a bang, with more than 88,000 fans in attendance to watch Richmond and Carlton battle it out. I watched the whole damn thing and did NOT regret it. Dusty Martin’s triumphant return (as I predicted) made an immediate impact, and watching the opening minutes made it clear this would be a back and forth contest.  Carlton looked like they were going to pull away toward the end of the first half, but Richmond came back strong, before Carlton took the lead back halfway through the fourth quarter. In the end, the two former GWS Giants that Richmond acquired had MASSIVE impacts, with Taranto leading all players on the pitch in touches, and Hopper making an amazing entry pass with time winding down to set up the game tying goal.

Re-reading that, I have sucked the excitement and joy out of what really was a thrilling match, so here are the last two minutes instead of my words:

The next match I watched from tip to taint was Geelong-Collingwood, a game most didn’t give much thought to beyond how Geelong should win in a walk (I assume, I don’t read Aussie footy coverage during the season until after I’ve finished a given week’s Giants game), so I’m often in the dark in my quest to avoid spoilers. As the Aussies say, this was also a cracking match, and this one didn’t end up in a tie. Collingwood was trailing by 22 in the second half and came back to win big against the defending champs. Another recently departed GWS player, Bobby Hill, came up pretty huge for the Pies, along with a heaping dose of Sidebottom, and Nick Dickos had 35 disposals.

I made one of those names up, but still, that sentence should mean Collingwood is Balls’s favorite team, but I guess he’ll stick with Geelong. Here are the highlights:

And now, to the main event, the only game in which I had a major rooting interest, the GWS Giants vs the Adelaide Crows.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

As I pointed out in my AFL 2023 Season Preview, a) the GWS Giants’ likelihood of success hinges on and Ruckwork, penalties, and injuries. b) anything can happen in the AFL.  Check out the “score worm” from this weekend’s GWS-Adelaide matchup:

The Giants were losing BADLY in the first half, in part due to lousy ruckwork, an early injury, lackluster defense, and some undisciplined moments (beyond Toby Greene being refereed differently than every other player).  HOWEVER, thanks in large part due to Matt Flynn’s ruckwork in the third and (more importantly) Coniglio and Kelly dominating center clearances around the same time, GWS clawed back to tie and then take a slim lead late in the 3rd quarter, and then held on for a YUGE comeback win.

Now, I’m not a mathematician, but apparently 40 degrees is VERY hot in places that don’t use Fahrenheit. I’ll defer to the Canucks around here, but word on the street is it was like 104 degrees and players were dropping like flies. In addition to head injuries and other maladies knocking out Perryman in the first quarter, and Whitfield and Kelly in the second half, the heat made EVERYONE start to cramp up.  Nick Haynes ended up having to move from defense to forward because his groin/leg injury wouldn’t let him run around enough, and he STILL kicked a huge 4th quarter goal with that bum…region.  Tom Green was stretching on the field during play because everyone was so dehydrated.  The announcers described it as a “culture building” win, and the chat around the AFL subreddit was that it was a very “unGWS” game since they have a history of not finishing out quarters/games.

I didn’t watch any of the other games, so just look upon the ladder graphic Rikki shared yesterday and draw some of your own conclusions:

Buddy Franklin got suspended one week for what didn’t look as bad to me as apparently it did to the tribunal, and after an opening week full of surprises, that will have an impact on predictions for the matches this coming week:

Carlton (0-0-1) vs Geelong (0-1)

Geelong is favored, but again, anything can happen here. Cameron and co looked good but not unstoppable in week one (obviously), and Carlton still has to be considered a contender (until and unless they prove otherwise).

Brisbane (0-1) vs Melbourne (1-0)

I didn’t watch either game but still don’t believe the odds should be as close as they are here.  I’ll respect Brisbane when they make me.

Collingwood (1-0) vs Port Adelaide (1-0)

How will the Pies fare without their Vice Captain, out with a (gruesome) broken arm? They’re still heavily favored against Port, which tracks.

Adelaide (0-1) vs Richmond (0-0-1)

I think Richmond wins this in a walk.  I glossed over it with my ebullience about the Giants win, but you could also say Adelaide blew that game. Their kick efficiency in the first half wasn’t very good, and they didn’t show a killer instinct when the Giants were on the mat (and having guys carted away, metaphorically and literally). Not a great sign for any team, and again, Richo is very good (IMO at least).

Western (0-1) vs St. Kilda (1-0)

Oddsmakers seem to think St. Kilda’s week 1 win doesn’t mean anything for week two, and having not watched either of these teams yet, I’ll blindly agree.

Fremantle (0-1) vs North Melbourne (1-0)

Yeahright’s Dockers should win in a walk. A fitting homage.

Sydney (1-0) vs Hawthorn (0-1)

Will the Buddy Franklin-less Swans keep the train rolling or will Hawthorn move off of the bottom rung? Sydney is HEAVILY favored, so I’d say the wooden spoon is in the Hawks’ sight.

Essendon (1-0) vs Gold Coast (0-1)

Will Rikki’s bombers stay on top of the ladder? Almost certainly not, but they should handle Gold Coast.

Last but certainly not least, West Coast (0-1) vs GWS (1-0)

GWS is favored, but I’ll be watching the injury list and worried about a let down combined with the travel to Perth making this a tough one for week two.

SonofSpam and Litre are in the lead for our tipping pool, but it’s anyone’s game so ask Balls if you want to get added.

Let’s close out with Harry Himmelberg’s early contender for Mark of the Year, and I implore you to pick a team and get into it!

🚨 HANGER ALERT 🚨

Harry Himmelberg is out here taking absolute screamers!!#AFLGiantsCrows pic.twitter.com/WFWNVxeXxS

— AFL (@AFL) March 19, 2023