If round one taught us anything, it's that the AFL doesn't care about your pre-season predictions, or your footy tipping competitions.
Here are the major lessons from a wild and wacky opening to the 2019 season:
Never question a champion (part one)
Season 2019 was predicted (hoped?) by many to be the one in which the two most successful clubs of the last decade, Hawthorn and Geelong, finally slid down the ladder. In fact, the trendy pick was for both clubs to miss the finals for the first time since 2006. So much for that. After stirring round one victories, both top eight stalwarts have shown that predictions of their demise may well have been grossly premature.
Made to look slow in an embarrassing finals capitulation in 2018, Geelong had the look of a club primed to take one or two steps back as it infused youth into an ageing lineup. However, Friday night's scrappy seven-point win over the Magpies showed that Geelong will continue to be a factor, with the performances of a number of young Cats perhaps most encouraging for the club. Unveiling four AFL debutants, the Cats showed no signs of inexperience in holding off the Pies in an epic encounter, with each newcomer playing an important role.
Charlie Constable was the best of the bunch, claiming 21 disposals and kicking a crucial last-term goal, while first-round draftee Jordan Clark (17 disposals), pressure forward Gryan Miers (11 disposals and three tackles) and former Geelong VFL captain Tom Atkins (nine disposals and five tackles) all looked at home at AFL level. Coupled with the exploits of a still-elite midfield, the performance of Geelong's youngsters prove that the Cats will remain a force to reckoned with in 2019, regardless of popular opinion.
Never question a champion (part two)
Following the theme of never counting out a champion team, Hawthorn's stunning upset of a supposedly rejuvenated Adelaide outfit once again showed us that opposing clubs are merely pawns on Alastair Clarkson's chess board. When will we learn?
Faced with last year's straight-sets finals exit and the devastating broken leg suffered by Tom Mitchell, not much was expected of the Hawks heading into 2019, yet even the grandest of expectations were surely surpassed in Hawthorn's comprehensive victory at Adelaide Oval. Despite losing the disposal, contested possession, clearance and inside 50 counts, the Hawks thoroughly outplayed the Crows on their way to a 32-point victory.
Already a strength, Hawthorn's forward pressure appears to have lifted a notch over the summer, with the Hawks recording a remarkable 19 tackles inside 50. 12-gamer James Worpel performed his best Mitchell impression for the Hawks, recording 27 disposals (12 contested), six clearances and two goals, while JLT standout James Cousins (18 disposals, six tackles and two goals of his own) and forward Conor Nash (10 disposals and five tackles) proved more than capable role players for Clarkson's team.
In addition to the impressive output of usual suspects Jaeger O'Meara, James Sicily and Jack Gunston, it's clear the Hawks aren't going anywhere in 2019.
All aboard the Lions' hype train
In a weekend full of baffling results, Brisbane's 44-point dismantling of West Coast may just have been the most surprising. The final scoreline becomes even more confusing when you consider that the reigning premiers kicked six consecutive goals in the first term to hold a commanding 27-point lead at quarter-time. From there, the Lions kicked 14 goals to two en route to their best victory in years.
While the Lions were everyone's favourite sleeper team heading into the season, very few could have predicted Saturday night's result. Brisbane certainly projects as one of 2019's big improvers, and the round one win will only add fuel to the fire, but it is important to remember that as with any young team, there will be plenty of bumps along the way. We can't necessarily expect this to become the new norm, but it represents a huge step in the right direction for Chris Fagan's men.
Brisbane's recruiting team deserves much of the credit as new Lions Lachie Neale, Jarryd Lyons and Lincoln McCarthy combined with recent draftees Hugh McCluggage, Jarrod Berry, Rhys Mathieson and Harris Andrews to spur the turnaround. 2017 trade acquisition Charlie Cameron was also outstanding, as were long-time Lions Daniel Rich and Dayne Zorko.
By all means, jump on the bandwagon, but don't expect finals just yet.
Fremantle's tall forwards the envy of the competition
The Dockers scored just over 70 points per game last year on their way to an uninspiring 8-14 season. It would therefore be fair to say that Sunday night's 141-point explosion against North Melbourne, the club's highest score in almost three years, came as quite a shock.
Despite taking an early five-point lead, the Kangaroos were never in the contest as Fremantle piled on goal after goal to win by 82 points. It all started in the midfield, where the Dockers were a mammoth +27 in contested possessions, +13 in clearances and +21 in inside 50s compared to their listless opponents. Nat Fyfe led the way as usual with 32 disposals, but he was ably supported by Brad Hill (28 disposals) and a much-improved Darcy Tucker (24 disposals and two goals).
Going forward, the Dockers' forwards were able to take advantage of the midfield dominance, taking 15 marks inside 50 and registering 36 scoring shots from 68 inside 50s. Perhaps most impressive was the fact that Fremantle's 21 goals came from 12 different goal kickers. In the most unlikely of starring roles, Cam McCarthy, who likely wouldn't have played if Jesse Hogan and Brennan Cox were available for selection, stepped up to kick five goals. GWS recruit Rory Lobb (two goals) and Matt Taberner (18 disposals and one goal) also provided strong targets up forward.
While a welcome sight for fans, Lyon will have tough decisions to make regarding how five tall forwards occupy three spots in his best 22. Lobb's ability to play as a relief ruckman and Hogan's talent when available would seemingly make them locks, leaving McCarthy, Taberner and the rapidly-improving Cox to fight it out for the final spot.
Wake up Essendon!
John Worsfold needs to buy his players alarm clocks, because they keep arriving late to new seasons. After all the rhetoric about avoiding a repeat of last season's horror 2-6 start, the Bombers failed to show up for their round one contest, going down by 72 points to a motivated GWS.
Essendon was thoroughly outplayed on Sunday afternoon, coming off second-best in almost every major statistical category, while only generating 15 scoring shots from 52 inside 50s, indicating a major problem between the midfield-forward connection. Clearly, the absence of Joe Daniher hurts in this regard, but this is virtually the same Bombers team which found a way to win the majority of games it played without its star spearhead last season.
Sunday's result certainly doesn't dash Essendon's finals prospects, but it has to be a concern given the failures of 2018.
Whatever the cause of these slow starts, the Bombers need to respond quickly. A convincing win over a struggling Saints team on Saturday would help.
