Footy is Back!

The AFL is back… sort of. The traditional Carlton vs Richmond match is still kicking off Round 1, but now we have Round 0, or Opening Round. 8 teams will kick off the season this weekend, with Sydney hosting Melbourne on Thursday, followed by Brisbane vs Carlton at the Gabba on Friday. Saturdays hosts a double header, with Gold Coast at home against Richmond, followed by GWS taking on premiers Collingwood in Sydney’s West.

Sydney hope to continue its strong form that ended the season, and hope adding Brodie Grundy and Taylor Adams, helps them take that next step into the top 4. Melbourne is coming off a controversial off-season, with their club and specifically their culture being put under the microscope multiple times. Clayton Oliver was at the centre of a lot of that controversy and will be hoping to let his immense talent take away from the off-field stories. Many have predicted the Demons to drop down the ladder, so this opening round clash has plenty of pressure for both teams.

Brisbane hosts the Blues in a rematch of last year’s classic prelim final, and fans are hoping the game is as good as that day in September. After starting the game with the first 5 goals, Carlton ended up falling just short, but after a long pre-season are being spoken about as one of the teams to beat, so a win as revenge against the team that ended their season will go a long way to cement those talks.

Damien Hardwick returns to coaching after his 6-month sabbatical, taking the helms of the Gold Coast Suns against his former team in Richmond. Gold Coast have had a few of their most famous wins against the tigers, so Dimma will be hoping that trend continues, as his aims to take the Suns to their first ever finals series.

Finally, the premiers travel up to Sydney to face the orange tsunami in the other Prelim Final rematch from last year. After starting last season slowly, the Giants were able to finish the seasons strongly, and were within a kick of their second ever Grand Final. Collingwood finished that game like they had many times over the previous 2 seasons, by winning a tight contest, as they did a week later, joining Essendon and Carlton with 16 flags. This Opening Round matchup could be a very early season preview on the last Saturday in September.