AFL.com.au's Callum Twomey takes a look at how the Bulldogs dismantled the premiers, the push to lift the interchange cap and more in Cal-culations
THE BULLDOGS CHANGE THAT BEAT BRISBANE
BEATING Brisbane at home is like trying to break a safe – and Luke Beveridge perfectly turned the dial on Saturday night.
His team now has the code. Now comes the expectation.
The numbers show the Dogs didn't change too much from last year in their game plan to start 2026 – kick-to-handballs was the same ratio, uncontested marks about the same, mark play-on percentage near identical and the direction of their play very similar.
Except for one key shift that had them coming back for more every time Brisbane looked like they were about to run away with a win to start their three-peat flag assault.
Last year, Champion Data showed the Bulldogs went to the corridor from their defensive 50 17.6 per cent of the time. Against Brisbane, they near on doubled that to 31 per cent – a huge jump that showed their preparedness to gamble with the quickest way home.
When breaking it down, the Bulldogs scored 31 points from kick-ins, which is the equal most by any team since 2021. The AFL average last year from that source was 4.1 points. And they were efficient, scoring 62 per cent of the time for their forward 50 entries, which is the third highest since 2021 for the club.
Beveridge, to use cricket parlance, beat Brisbane by bowling with a scrambled seam. That manoeuvre creates unpredictable movement off the pitch and leaves the batter unsure where it is going to go, and the Dogs coach did the same with his magnet board.
The positional changes were everywhere in the Opening Round win. Sam Davidson, Oskar Baker and Bailey Williams spent last year as wingmen but were in the midfield and forward line, with Williams kicking a Goal of the Year contender.
Lachie Jaques (in the VFL) and Lachie Bramble were defenders last year but shifted up the field in 2026, while Joel Freijah arrived as a midfielder last season but was a forward against the Lions.
Buku Khamis, who wanted to be traded to Carlton, has been flipped from attack to defence and looks at home, while Gold Coast recruit Connor Budarick was terrific with 27 disposals as he perfectly filled his prescribed role as a rebounding half-back.
Brisbane and the Western Bulldogs aren't fixtured to play each other in the home and away season again, but a second serving of Saturday night's game in September already whets the appetite.
SUNS' 'CAULDRON' HEATS UP
BRISBANE built the Gabba-toir. Gold Coast now must make the most of 'The Carrara Cauldron'.
Part of the benefit for the Suns in hosting Opening Round and the AFL's northern market focus means the club will host a travelling Victorian team in hot, sweaty and greasy conditions – conditions that only the Queensland clubs will be ready to handle.
Gold Coast did just that on Friday night in their smacking of last year's Grand Finalists Geelong as Christian Petracca ran amok in the highest rated game of his glittering career, according to AFL Player Ratings.
The Suns have made Darwin a fortress over recent years – winning their past eight games there – and if they can do the same this year at People First Stadium, they will be near on a lock for the top four.
Last year the Suns made steps towards that, winning seven of nine games at the Carrara venue. But if they can lift that number this year and continue their dominance at TIO Stadium mid-year, Gold Coast's flag hopes will soar.
Already the Suns' stacked list has all the tools, and the combination of Petracca and Bailey Humphrey as two forward half game-breakers (game-wreckers also appropriate) has them in an enviable position.
The dual trade period calls – to not budge on Humphrey's desire to move clubs whilst adding Petracca – has given the Suns a pair of dynamic, powerful, goalkicking midfielders in a time when so many clubs are desperate for one.
Petracca's three-goal, 34-disposal, 11-score involvement game was super and his kicking was penetrating and precise. He landed in Queensland in November and didn't miss a beat over pre-season, testing faster and fitter than he had previously. He then went 'bang' against a flat Cats outfit.
It was also a reminder that Petracca was the most unlucky player not to be selected for Victoria in the recent AAMI AFL Origin game and that not having him there was an oversight.
There should be a legacy element to the selection criteria, and Petracca had been a top-five player of the competition between 2020-2023 and claimed four consecutive All-Australian jumpers in that window before injury struck in 2024. He deserved a 'Big V' jumper.
After Petracca's huge game, former Dees teammate Clayton Oliver was equally as important for the Giants on Saturday but let's not wonder why Melbourne made its trade moves last year – for all three parties it was time for change. And the Dees have turbocharged their rebuild with the picks they received for Petracca.
FRIDAY NIGHT SPICE
BRAD Scott said in February he wouldn't be leaning into the heightened Essendon and Hawthorn rivalry ahead of their round one meeting at the MCG.
"I don't think we need to. If it's a little bit extra to what it normally is, there'll be more than 90,000 there, that's for sure. I formed my football childhood [on] Hawthorn and Essendon rivalries," he told AFL.com.au.
"I think anything that can renew those days of the '80s and the modern day rivalry and they've been everything in between. So I don't think we need any extra spice."
But there has been some premium chili peppers-level spice in this week's contest after an off-season where tensions were high – and remain festering – following Zach Merrett's trade bid to get to Hawthorn.
Merrett's eventual unsuccessful move to get to Hawthorn saw relations explode between the clubs – from the catch-up with rival coach Sam Mitchell to the deadline placed on Hawthorn's offer, to the final day emotions of a deal Hawthorn believes Essendon never really considered – and they have their now annual round one game for the build-up.
Merrett has said and done all the right things since returning to Essendon; he gave up the captaincy, he has been a standout trainer as usual and wants the Bombers to succeed. There's even been preliminary contract extension talks and he has been open to those discussions.
Now we wait to see the reaction of the crowd – itself going to be a unique scenario given Hawthorn's fanbase wanted him and he wanted to join them and how time may have simmered some Essendon feelings.
All will watch knowing what a difference the champion left-footer would have made to Hawthorn's flag bid. That was clear again on Saturday, when the Hawks' midfield was well beaten by an injury-hit Giants side missing Tom Green, Brent Daniels, Toby Bedford, Darcy Jones, Josh Kelly and key posts Sam Taylor and Aaron Cadman.
Sam Mitchell pointed to the issue post-game.
"Realistically, we lost the midfield battle tonight. Centre bounces, it might have only been minus-five but that was all early, and the inside 50s – they won 19 centre bounces and it went in 18 times from it, so we just couldn't get enough pressure on them," the Hawks coach said.
Hawthorn's numbers were flattered by a better final quarter, but at three-quarter time they trailed by 41 points and Champion Data shows they were down in differentials in disposals (-59), contested possessions (-16), groundballs (-20), first possessions (-12), clearances (-13), scores from stoppages (-24), inside-50s (-18) and pressure index (168 to the Giants' 193).
Until Will Day returns, it is going to be a big load for Jai Newcombe to handle in the middle. Whether Essendon can exploit that on Friday night remains another question.
ERROL'S HOUSE
IN JANUARY, as AFL.com.au was granted access to Sydney's inner sanctum, it became clear how much the Swans wanted to overhaul their game plan.
Dean Cox spoke about the game getting quicker. His message to his team before a key match simulation was to look around the room and see all the weapons at their disposal. No handbrakes, no inhibitions.
Swans players, who had been instructed to bring a notebook to every team meeting for the first time to learn the new elements of Cox's system, were enthused about the switch.
That was in full motion for the Swans in their blistering third-quarter assault of Carlton on Thursday night as they slammed on 12 goals for the term.
Central to the damage was Errol Gulden, who was back to his best after last year's broken ankle ruled him out of the Swans' first half of the season. It was no surprise that the Swans managed just five wins and eight losses with Gulden missing, but in the 10 games he played they went 7-3 in the back half of 2025.
He was the best player in a scintillating third quarter and whilst the Swans will look to handball more to get things moving with an overlap style (Thursday was the eighth most handballs in a match since the start of 2025), the game plan for Gulden must be clear: Kick All The Time. Dish it, Occasionally.
With Gulden kicking the ball inside 50, the Swans will have most teams' measure. He trained over summer playing more time as an inside midfielder and that will continue this season, and the 23-year-old is the Swans' chief deliverer. And that can be as kick-in taker or the money kick maker.
Sydney's blitz with outside run and ball movement exposed Carlton's flaws once again, with the Blues having battled strongly in the first half and led in contested parts of the game before Sydney restored the order and then ran away with the game.
Charlie Curnow's arrival at Sydney has caught all of the headlines, but the greatest recruit Sydney has this year compared to last is a fully fit Gulden. The old adage that a team's best player can sometimes not be their most important doesn't apply to Gulden. He is both.
COACHES EYE ROTATION LIFT
WAIT for it. It's about to come publicly. The lobbying has already started.
Senior coaches have already discussed with the AFL their hopes to increase the interchange rotations cap from 75 a game.
This response was expected by the League after it eradicated the substitute and allowed clubs a fifth player on the bench, with coaches believing the unintended consequence has been a difficulty in actually rotating their players through the bench.
It is why some superstars – like St Kilda's Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Collingwood's Nick Daicos and Western Bulldog Marcus Bontempelli – are likely to spend more time deep in attack rather than chew up a rotation running off the ground.
Coaches spoken to by AFL.com.au don't want too many more – believing another 10 rotations would make a considerable difference – but aren't holding out hope of a change even at the end of the year.
The use of the fifth bench spot was varied across Opening Round – Sydney held back Tom Papley for the first 20 minutes of the game and kept him on managed minutes (57 per cent game time), Carlton had Liam Reidy as a second ruck, Geelong pegged Jhye Clark (50 per cent game time) as a virtual impact sub and Hugh McCluggage's early calf injury threw out Brisbane's plans.
SHOT, PRODUCED, EDITED BY ...
THE RECENT Australian Open had footballers aplenty spotted across the grand slam, most on corporate invitations, in premium seats and dressed for the occasion.
One wonders if they caught notice of the shift that took place for the tennis players behind the scenes.
A new trend emerged at the tournament, with some of the game's leading men's and women's players having with them dedicated producers to capture, cut and deliver personalised content for their social platforms.
There was vision en route to Melbourne, practice sessions filmed and edited, candid moments turned into posts and the players not only in control of the message but also the execution and delivery of the content.
It will be fascinating to see if the AFL world heads in a similar direction. In a fierce battle for sponsorship dollars, clubs are navigating new waters where some of their stars can't be used for their premium marketing because of conflicting personal deals with rival brands.
New AFL Players Association chief executive James Gallagher can see the change happening and the challenge on the horizon.
"There's no doubt there's a shift. The athletes are more at the centre of the promotion and commercial relationships are probably more geared towards the personality than the club in many cases," Gallagher told AFL.com.au.
"I imagine that's going to be a discussion point in the next CBA because the players probably do have more scope than they've ever had before commercially, and that's a good thing.
"Striking a balance between players, club and AFL is going to be really important. One thing for me that is evident is we've got, in many ways, quite an old model. It hasn't necessarily shifted with the shift in the commercial landscape, so I imagine that's going to be a conversation that we have."
This must also be the case for media access, with star players often off-limits despite the Collective Bargain Agreement's rules around weekly access. Let's hope that changes in 2026.