FOOTSCRAY 6.10 (46)
SYDNEY 13.12 (90)
SYDNEY blew the Smithy’s VFL competition wide open in the very first game of the season when it outclassed powerhouse Footscray by 44 points at Victoria University Whitten Oval on Friday.
The Swans, who controlled the ball for the majority of the game, having 48 more disposals and 52 more marks, started well with Joel Amartey kicking the only two goals of the first quarter and led 20 points midway through the second until last year’s undefeated minor premiers came to life, kicking 4.5 without reply to lead by nine early in the third.
But Sydney hit back with 15 of the next 16 scoring shots yielding 9.6 to 0.1, including a 55m bomb off one step from Will Gould that regained the lead, to wrap up an impressive four points despite Footscray having more clearances (47-28) and inside-50s (51-45).
Sydney best-and-fairest winner Lewis Taylor picked up where he left off by taking an unthinkable 20 marks, winning seven clearances and having five rebound 50s on his way to 38 disposals, while fellow ball magnet Ryan Clarke also had 38, plus eight marks and five tackles, and James Bell had an outstanding 31 touches, nine marks, nine tackles and five clearances.
Of the recruits, Peter Ladhams (18 disposals, eight marks, 18 hitouts, two goals) was the best big man on the ground, Matthew Roberts had 25 and six marks on debut, Corey Warner 20 and five marks and Lachie Rankin 14 and four rebounds, while defender Gould (21, seven marks, eight rebounds, one goal) and forwards Ben Ronke (23, eight marks, three goals), Amartey (eight marks, three goals) and Callum Sinclair (nine marks, three goals) all showed John Longmire they would be ready to step up if required.
For Footscray, which hadn’t lost a game since the 2019 semi-final and was undefeated in 18 home-and-away matches, best-and-fairest Robbie McComb franked the club’s decision to elevate him to the senior list with another brilliant performance producing 36 disposals, 10 marks, nine clearances, seven inside-50s, four rebounds, five tackles and a goal.
Mitch Wallis (26, nine clearances, eight inside-50s) had a nice start, Riley Garcia (24, eight tackles) has plenty of ability, Rhylee West (24, six marks, eight clearances) did a lot of classy things and rookie Cody Raak (22, 11 marks) showed his skill.
Draftees Luke Cleary (15) was solid in defence and Arthur Jones (11) lively up forward, while Stefan Martin (14, eight marks, 24 hitouts) put his hand up to return to the AFL team after injury and Tim O’Brien had 11 kicks and four rebounds.
FRANKSTON 7.15 (57)
WERRIBEE 12.11 (83)
WERRIBEE flexed its muscles in the second half of the third quarter to account for Frankston by 26 points at Skybus Stadium on Saturday night in what is becoming one of the more challenging trips in the Smithy’s VFL.
The Tigers held the ascendancy for most of the first half before the Dolphins kicked four goals out of five and grabbed an 11-point lead 10 minutes into the third term to sound the alarm bells for Michael Barlow’s men.
But they responded as a premiership fancy would be expected, booting 7.5 to 0.2 from that point until the 16-minute mark of the last to put the contest to bed – also winning the tackle count by 17.
Reigning Liston medallist Tom Gribble was the best man on the ground, lifting the Tigers onto his shoulders as he racked up 34 disposals, six tackles and nine inside-50s, with plenty of support coming from fellow mids Shaun Mannagh (23, seven tackles, five clearances, six inside-50s, three goals), Jack Henderson (24, seven tackles, seven clearances) and Matt Hanson (23, nine tackles, eight clearances).
The returning Kye Declase roamed far and wide for 23 touches, seven marks and two goals, Casey Demons recruit Tom McCaffrey bobbed up for three goals and Hudson Garoni had a run in the ruck for eight marks and 15 hitouts but went goalless.
Recruit Trent Mynott compiled 25 touches, nine clearances, eight inside-50s and a goal for Frankston, while Will Fordham (23, five marks, five clearances, one goal), skipper Josh Newman (22, eight clearances) and Ryley Stoddart (20, one goal) also impressed, Connor Riley laid 10 tackles and Josh Begley nine, rucks Liam Reidy (36) and Austin Bradtke (31) shared 67 hitouts and Jackson Voss had seven rebounds.
CARLTON 11.18 (84)
BRISBANE LIONS 5.12 (42)
CARLTON cruised to a comfortable 42-point win over the Brisbane Lions in a scrappy affair at Ikon Park on Friday.
The Blues were never seriously troubled after holding the Lions to just 1.7 in the first half, extending their lead at every change and enjoying a +81 disposal count and laying 26 more tackles – a disappointing figure given how often they were without the ball.
Western Bulldogs recruit Will Hayes was outstanding in his 98th VFL game with 33 disposals, six clearances, five inside-50s, six tackles and two goals, while Paddy Dow (32, seven clearances, 10 inside-50s, one goal) and Jack Newnes (30, nine marks, five tackles, one goal) were similarly dominant and another former Bulldog in Lewis Young was near impassable in defence with 21 touches, 10 marks and five rebounds and young ruck Alex Mirkov had 30 hitouts.
Ryan Lester kept his name in the front of AFL coach Chris Fagan’s mind with 28 possessions, eight marks and seven rebounds at centre half-back, fellow defenders Carter Michael (19, six rebounds) and Jack Payne (13, six rebounds) worked hard, while Rhys Mathieson (24, six clearances five tackles) and Deven Robertson (22, five tackles, one goal) were also good.
GOLD COAST 20.11 (131)
NORTHERN BULLANTS 11.10 (76)
GOLD COAST overcame a slow start to overrun the Northern Bullants by 55 points at Metricon Stadium on Saturday.
The Bullants flew out of the blocks with four of the first five goals before the Suns emerged from the clouds to take the lead by quarter-time, and gradually built on their ascendancy, finishing with six goals to one in the last term.
Former Geelong and Woodville-West Torrens star James Tsitas celebrated his Supplementary Selection Period call-up with 26 disposals, five tackles and seven clearances, while Jy Farrar (24, 10 marks, seven rebounds) and Connor Budarick (22, 10 marks, seven rebounds) were outstanding in defence and Jez McLennan (23, six clearances, six inside-50s) and Oleg Markov (23, five marks) were good in the middle.
Boom top-10 draftees Elijah Hollands (20, six marks, six tackles, eight inside-50s) and Mac Andrew (20, five marks) also impressed while Gold Coast’s big forward line proved too much for the Bullants to handle, led by Josh Corbett (seven marks, five goals), Malcolm Rosas (20 disposals, seven inside-50s, three goals), Morgan Ferres (three) and Chris Burgess (three).
Inspirational captain Tom Wilson was everywhere for the Bullants in earning 35 disposals, 11 marks, six clearances, six inside-50s, four rebounds and a goal, Matthew King (24, 10 marks, six rebounds) was excellent in defence, Jackson Barling (21) and Kyle Dunkley (20) did some nice things and Ben Silvagni kicked three goals.
GEELONG 12.14 (86)
ESSENDON 8.10 (58)
GEELONG did enough to open its 2022 account in outlasting Essendon by 28 points at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.
The Bombers had the early ascendancy but missed their opportunity to build an early lead by kicking 1.4, and the Cats made them pay with the next six goals to take a matchwinning advantage, getting out by as much as 53 points early in the last term before the visitors kicked five of the last six goals.
Matthew Ling backed up his appointment as Cats’ captain on club debut with an assured display in defence, finishing with 25 disposals, nine marks and six rebounds, while Quinton Narkle enjoyed a run on the ball to have 25, six clearances and six inside-50s, draftee Mitch Knevitt had 21, seven marks and nine tackles, Nick Stevens had 22 and seven marks, Cooper Stephens looked over his bad run of injury in 2021 in having 21 possessions, five marks and eight clearances and rookie pick Oliver Dempsey snagged three goals on debut.
Essendon skipper Joe Atley led from the front with a game-high 31 possessions, seven marks and an outstanding 14 clearances, top-10 pick Ben Hobbs won’t have to wait long for an AFL call-up after having 21, seven tackles and nine clearances, Will Golds had 20 and eight inside-50s and veteran Ben Jolley showed he still has it with 20 touches in game No.288.
SUNDAY
RICHMOND v SOUTHPORT (Swinburne Centre)
COLLINGWOOD v BOX HILL HAWKS (Victoria Park)
CASEY DEMONS v SANDRINGHAM (Casey Fields)
GWS v PORT MELBOURNE (Blacktown)
NORTH MELBOURNE v WILLIAMSTOWN (Aegis Park)
COBURG bye
Twitter: @BRhodesVFL
LADDER
Carlton 4 (200.0%), Sydney 4 (195.7%), Gold Coast 4 (172.4%), Geelong 4 (148.3%), Werribee 4 (145.6%), Frankston 0 (68.7%), Essendon 0 (67.4%), Northern Bullants 0 (58.0%), Footscray 0 (51.1%), Brisbane Lions 0 (50%).
THIS WEEK
ROUND 2: Thursday, March 31: Footscray v Northern Bullants (VUWO, 5.35pm). Friday, April 1: Sydney v Gold Coast (BISP, 7.05pm). Saturday, April 2: Coburg v Port Melbourne (PP, 1.05pm); Brisbane Lions v North Melbourne (MBSC, 2.05pm), Collingwood v Geelong (AIA, 2.05pm); Southport v Williamstown (FR, 2.05pm), Casey Demons v Essendon (CF, 3.05pm); Frankston v GWS (SS, 7.05pm). Sunday, April 3: Sandringham v Richmond (WSTBBO, 12pm); Box Hill Hawks v Carlton (BHCO, 3.05pm); Werribee bye.
NEXT WEEK – ROUND 3: Friday, April 8: Geelong v Brisbane Lions (GMHBA, 4.05pm). Saturday, April 9: Northern Bullants v Collingwood (PCO, 12.05pm); Port Melbourne v Sydney (ETU, 1.05pm); GWS v Coburg (BISP, 1.35pm); Richmond v Footscray (SC, 2.05pm); Werribee v Southport (AAO, 7.05pm); Williamstown v Casey Demons (WFG, 7.10pm). Sunday, April 10: Box Hill Hawks v Sandringham (MCG, 12pm); Essendon v Frankston (The Hangar, 12.35pm); Gold Coast v Carlton (Metricon, 12.35pm), Carlton bye.
THEN: ROUND 4: Thursday, April 14: Southport v Geelong (FR, 7.05pm). Friday, April 15: North Melbourne v Footscray (AP, 12.05pm); Williamstown v Werribee (WFG, 1.05pm). Saturday, April 16: Sandringham v Gold Coast (WSTBBO, 11.05am); Collingwood v GWS (AIA, 2.05pm). Sunday, April 17: Carlton v Richmond (IP, 11.05pm); Sydney v Northern Bullants (BISP, 1.05pm); Casey Demons v Coburg (CF, 1.35pm); Port Melbourne v Essendon (ETU, 2.10pm); Box Hill Hawks, Brisbane Lions, Frankston bye.
All VFL matches in 2022 will be live-streamed free. The match of the round can be viewed on Channel 7 and 7Plus, while all remaining games will be streamed live and available on demand via the AFL Live and VFL apps.
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