We have had to wait nearly four months, but the footy is back! Week two of the NAB Challenge saw some exhilarating football and some new look line-ups! Here is a match by match analysis of how things went down over the weekend.
Western Bulldogs Vs GWS
Thursday night footy saw the Greater Western Sydney Giants taking on the Western Bulldogs at Startrack Oval in Canberra. New ruckman, Rory Lobb got the Giants off to a great start, taking a solid mark inside the forward 50 then going back and drilling the goal. The Dogs teased the Giants, dominating the game but just not converting, leaving the Giants with a chance. After scoring six behinds for no goals, the Dogs put on their kicking boots and kicked the Giants right out of the game, ending up with a 31 point victory. Their ability to get hold of the ball was impressive. They smashed the Giants in disposals, thanks to some superb rucking from both Will Minson and Tom Campbell.
It is the pre season, so let's take a look at the team's best young players coming out of the game. Koby Stevens from the Bulldogs stood out, racking up 29 disposals and 5 marks. He put his body on the line and was continuously rewarded, earning a total of 5 free kicks. Rory Lobb was impressive for the Giants. He had a handy 13 disposals and six marks. Rory spent some time up forward, booting two goals but wasn't good enough to get his side over the line.
Collingwood Vs Geelong
The two teams who had the best preseasons in terms of trading, faced off on Friday night at Simonds stadium. Patrick Dangerfield finally made his debut for the Cats and what a debut it was. Dangerfield had the first kick of the game and then went on to kick three goals and get a few touches in a very exciting game of footy. Although, it was a very unsettled game, to say the least. Geelong were fast starters jumping out to a healthy, early lead before Collingwood's 11 goal third term brought them right back into the match and even put them ahead by 21 points at the final break. Geelong then mounted a comeback but it was too little, too late for the Cats as Collingwood managed to hold on to an eight point victory.
Not necessarily Collingwood's youngest player, but, in my opinion, Alex Fasolo hasn't been living up to his potential. However, Fasolo looks like a shining light for the Pies up forward this year. He kicked five goals, took seven marks and had 19 disposals. If he keeps this up, Collingwood won't have to rely on Travis Cloke up forward all year.
Now Geelong's rising star is by no means new to the game but he was a huge pick up over the offseason. Patrick Dangerfield, a former Adelaide Crows midfielder, is going to be crucial all season if Geelong plan on making finals. Based on his performance in this match, Geelong supporters have a lot to look forward to.
Melbourne Demons Vs Port Adelaide
The Melbourne Demons played off against Port Adelaide on Saturday at Playford Alive oval. For a team who really struggled last year, Melbourne were playing like a top eight team in the second half. After a sluggish first half, Melbourne came from over 5 goals behind at half time to apply pressure throughout the entire second half in a really impressive comeback. Melbourne's hustle gave them 44 clearances and 135 contested possessions in their side's 19 point victory.
Jimmy Toumpas was a standout from a Port Adelaide perspective. The 21 year old, drafted back in 2012, had 17 disposals to go with four tackles. Matt Jones for the Melbourne Demons has played only 51 AFL games and is already 28 years old. Although he is starting to hit his peak, holding on to 6 marks to go with 16 disposals. He was even able to snag a goal, capping off a fantastic start to the season for him and also the Demons.
Hawthorn Vs Richmond
The reigning premiers are back again this season, looking to go back to back to back to back. Although, they were pulled apart by Richmond on the weekend, going down by 71 points. Shane Edwards kicked 4 goals and Jack Reiwold booted a supergoal in a dominant performance from the Tigers. To make matters worse for the Hawks, they suffered two major injuries. Cyril Rioli was out of the game early, going down with a calf injury and their new recruit, Jack Fitzpatrick damaged his knee in a marking contest.
Tim Obrien had a solid showing for the Hawks, taking 5 marks up forward and even snagging a goal. Liam Sheils who is not so new to the AFL but is still only 24 years old, played an outstanding game to offer some defensive pressure that was hard to find for the Hawks. He finished the game with nine tackles while racking up 20 disposals. For the Tigers, it was a more even display of talent, but 24 year old Anthony Miles was outstanding. With 26 disposals, 9 tackles and 7 marks in a classy display, he is someone that Tigers fans should definitely be getting excited about.
Essendon Vs Carlton
It was like the good old days on Sunday, with Princes Park hosting its first AFL game in a number of years. To add to the historic occasion, Eleni Glouftis became the first ever female field umpire to officiate a game at AFL level. Essendon have a lot to prove this season, and they got off to a great start on Sunday. Their ten goal win over a very young Carlton team would have done a lot to their confidence. Essendon dominated all aspects of the game, especially clearances and inside 50's. Carlton were wasteful up forward, scoring eight behinds from twelve scoring shots.
21 year old Nick Graham was one of Carlton's only positives coming out from the game. Graham had 21 disposals, took four marks and received four free kicks. His team mates are going to have to follow his lead if they are going to accomplish something this season. Another 21 year old who plays for Essendon had an extremely good game as well. Martin Gleeson put together a solid performance, finishing with 22 disposals, five marks and a couple of free kicks. His pressure was also evident as he added three tackles throughout the match.
Fremantle Dockers Vs Adelaide Crows
One of the closer games from the weekend featured a couple of young teams who will once again be looking to place well inside the top eight. Adelaide started quicker than the Dockers, but were unable to punish them on the scoreboard. They butchered a number of opportunities in the first half including a goalless second term, where they were only able to kick six behinds. Had they been able to capitalise on some Fremantle mistakes, the game could have been over much quicker. Instead, they left the Dockers with a chance. Fremantle were able to bring a better brand of footy into the second half and slowly crept themselves into the game, led by Brownlow Medalist Nathan Fyfe. A tight last term saw it come down to the wire but the slightly more expeirienced Fremantle side were able to hold on and claim a two point victory.
Besides Nathan Fyfe, another young player who stood out was Tommy Sheridan. Coming off a disappointing finish to 2015 for Sheridan, who dropped an easy mark in Fremantle's Preliminary Final last year that may have lost them the game, he really stood up and showed why he is such a mature footballer. Sheridan finished with 28 disposals and a couple of marks. For Adelaide, Rory Atkins played an above standard game. The 21 year old has only played eight AFL games but finished with 25 disposals, eight of them contested, and three inside 50's.
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