Footy is finally back, although not before the impact of Tropical Cyclone Alfred in south-east Queensland, which had played havoc with the opening round of fixtures.
The AFL called earlier in the week to postpone the curtain-raisers between Brisbane and Geelong and Gold Coast v Essendon due to the incoming weather—both matches have already been rescheduled for rounds 3 and 24, respectively.
AFL Statement
In a statement, CEO Andrew Dillon (pictured below) said, “The priority is that we do everything we can to ensure the health and safety of everyone in and around any potential cyclone zone or community impacted by the forecast heavy rains and storm surges.”
“We want to make the decision now to give clubs and fans certainty in an uncertain environment and allow anyone from Queensland who would normally be involved in this game through coaching, playing, attending or working at the venue time to be home with their families and available in the community if required.”
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‘Hollywood Hawks’ off to winning start
That decision meant the new season didn’t officially get underway until Friday evening, when all eyes were on Sydney and Hawthorn, who served up a cracker.
There is a lot of expectation on the Hawks this campaign, following a very impressive second half of 2024 that saw them installed as second favourites for the flag.
They certainly didn’t disappoint, with a superb display that saw them recover from trailing early before hitting the lead, hold off their opponents when they came charging back, and pull away at the end to see off last year’s Grand Finalists.
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Will Day (pictured above), who endured a tough 2024 with an injury and needed collarbone surgery during the summer, really caught the eye, playing a forward role with three snags.
The club nailed their trade targets in the summer with the arrival of defenders Josh Battle (pictured below, left) and Andrew Barrass (pictured below, right); both slotted in very well to the backline. This allowed Captain James Sicily the freedom to play and impact further up the pitch.
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Speaking on ground, in a post-match interview with Channel 7, the 30-year-old said “We’re rapt; the Swans have got us a few times in the last few years. We weren’t happy with the way we went about it in the pre-season games, so we were a bit on edge for this game. But I think it was really good; it is always hard to come up here and beat this team that made the Grand Final last year. So I am really proud.”
He continued “We want to win more games, you know, but we can’t get ahead of ourselves. We know what is right for us and what we value. All that matters is what happens inside and we will keep sticking to that and we know that when we can get those things right, we are hard to beat. So we will just keep chipping away.”
GWS record win over Magpies
The only other contest to survive the weather took place in New South Wales, where two teams expected to be challenging at the pointy end clashed at Engie Stadium.
In the end, it proved to be a bit of an anticlimax. Greater Western Sydney was simply too strong, and they went on to record their biggest-ever win over Collingwood.
Despite coming into the contest without several players, including new recruit Jake Stringer (hamstring) and Coleman Medallist Jesse Hogan, after he jammed his thumb in a door in a bizarre accident, they still had more than enough on the day.
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It was a big occasion for midfielder James Leake (pictured above)—he was given the chance to make his debut, having impressed in pre-season. With all his family and friends over from Tasmania, he certainly made the most of it, including kicking his first major.
Highly-rated key defender and All-Australian Sam Taylor had a decent game down back, but he could also venture forward to boot his first goal since 2019.
Briggs injury concern
The only disappointment was the sight of Kieren Briggs when he was stretched off the pitch and taken to hospital with a concussion following an aerial challenge.
Speaking in the presser, coach Adam Kingsley (pictured below) confirmed, “He was out for a little bit, so he’ll go through the concussion protocols. He’s gone to Westmead Hospital just as a precaution, but I think he’s OK. Obviously it was a nasty incident.”
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On the performance, he continued “I couldn’t have been prouder or happier with the way that we performed. I thought our pressure and our intensity around the ball was first class. The way that we moved the ball was really strong. We still have things to work on but, all in all, I was absolutely rapt.”
“We got out of the blocks quick, they responded and were awesome in that first 15 to 20 minutes of the second quarter. So for us to then respond to their challenge and then actually extend the margin by half-time, from what it was at quarter-time, that was really important for us.”
“Every game we will get challenged like that in patches and we need to be able to respond like the way that we did today; I was really pleased with that.”
Opening Round 2025 Results
Sydney 11.10 (76)
Hawthorn 14.12 (96)
GWS 15.14 (104)
Collingwood 6.16 (52)
Bye: Adelaide, Brisbane, Carlton, Essendon, Fremantle, Geelong, Gold Coast, Melbourne, North Melbourne, Port Adelaide, Richmond, St Kilda, West Coast, and Western Bulldogs
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