The couch grass surface was also different to what I was used to. It had a spongy feel to it and it gave the impression you were running on quicksand as soon as your feet touched the ground.
I prefer the smaller venues.
If I'd had my way, every game would have been scheduled to be played on the SCG, or even better, on North Melbourne's home ground at Arden St. Running kept to a minimum and every ball won was contested.
Hawthorn won't like it that they'll be playing Fremantle at Subiaco tonight, as so many of their list have either had interrupted pre-seasons or have been in and out of the side because of injury.
Things took another turn for the worse when Luke Hodge was ruled out of their next few games – if there's a bloke Hawthorn can't do without it's him, even half-fit.
The fact they're playing Fremantle, who are in the 'up' phase of their confidence roller-coaster, spells trouble for the Hawks.
Looking at Freo's team you just can't believe how bad they were at the start of the year.
In the backline you've got real talent in blokes like Roger Hayden, Luke McPharlin and Antoni Grover, guys who have been around long enough to have evened out their performances. Chris Tarrant has been thrown into that mix and he has all the physical attributes to make a real go of it as a defender.
Seven weeks ago you'd never have guessed that this match could go either way, but I'm having trouble separating them. Just because of the ground factor, I'm going to with Fremantle. Let's hope that purple roller coaster stays on the rails.
Saturday: Sydney Swans v West Coast
If there's another ground that should give the home team a real advantage over the opposition it's ANZ Stadium in Sydney. The Swans have won four of their last six there, and one of those losses was against the Geelong juggernaut last year.
I've been there a couple of times and it's a weird sort of ground. It's long and narrow and probably unlike any other ground in competition.
If you want to watch a team play a ground to perfection, go back and have a look at how the Swans defeated North Melbourne in that elimination final last year.
The Swans shut down the game down at every opportunity, allowing Darren Jolly to team up with stoppage specialists Brett Kirk and Jude Bolton to win a stack of contested ball.
Ryan O'Keefe pushed up the ground to funnel the ball down to Adam Goodes and Barry Hall, who were effectively left on their own to dominate an undermanned North defence.
It was basically that half-dozen players who carried their team over the line that night, and they'll be looking to them to do something similar on Saturday night. I think they'll be able to do it.
Sunday: St Kilda v Essendon
In keeping with the 'grounds' theme, how good have the Saints been at Docklands this year? They've actually been pretty good everywhere, but they really seem to know every inch of turf at their home ground.
The Bombers were excellent last week, and if there is any game style that might test St Kilda's plan, it'll be that daring run that Essendon employed to such great effect against the Hawks last week.
In reality, however, I reckon the Dons got the Hawks at the right time last week. On paper, their teams were no match.
It's the same this week with Saints, but the differences is that the Saints are flying in terms of fitness, confidence and form. Matty Knights' young side will stand no chance against a team I reckon is looking as fit and confident as any unit in recent memory.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
