Marcus Adams was one of the reasons why Brisbane were still in the game in the second half thanks to his sterling work down back against Port Adelaide. Photo: AFL MEDIA

FULL BACKS

Luke McDonald (North Melbourne)
After an indifferent 2021 due to injury and inconsistent roles within David Noble’s line-up, McDonald was back to his commanding form of two years ago against the Hawks. He looked assured down back in winning some decisive one-on-ones, and his 13 intercept possessions were comfortably the most of the round.

Phil Davis (GWS)
With his direct opponent looking to join the absolute greats of VFL/AFL goalkicking, Davis portrayed The Grinch to perfection with his exceptional shutdown job. The veteran full back restricted Franklin to just one goal and one mark inside 50, while also gathering 15 disposals himself. Davis is one of very few who could claim to have the wood over such a star player.

Jeremy Howe (Collingwood)
With all the other big returns and good news stories of the weekend, Howe’s game perhaps went under the radar – an impressive feat for a starring turn from a Collingwood player on a Friday night. Nine marks (including the customary ‘speccy’) and 22 disposals showed that he still has plenty of good footy left as a pillar of the Magpies’ new-look side.

HALF BACKS

Adam Saad (Carlton)
A dynamic performance from Saad, who got better as the game wore on and was instrumental in the Blues’ final-quarter demolition of Richmond. His offensive game was in full flight, with 22 touches at 100 per cent disposal efficiency, but he found the balance with some top-shelf defensive efforts to remind us of his skill in that department too.

Marcus Adams (Brisbane)
Adams has emerged as a seriously high quality partner for star defender Harris Andrews when he’s been able to stay on the park. While many Lions got on top late in the game, Adams held things together strongly in the first half. He looked strong, fit and confident to start the season in good touch.

Changkuoth Jiath (Hawthorn)
Hawthorn’s brightest young star looks to have picked up exactly where he left off after an impressive breakout campaign. There has always been plenty of flair about Jiath’s game, but his assuredness with ball in hand was particularly impressive on Sunday. That blend of panache and composure could make him one of the best half-backs in the game.  

CENTRES

Ollie Florent (Sydney)
The Swans wingman enjoyed a fantastic outing against the Giants on Saturday. Picking up the slack left by Jordan Dawson’s departure, Florent worked hard both ways and found reward on the scoreboard with three cracking goals. A continuation of this form from Florent would see Sydney’s young core emerge as just about the best in the AFL.  

Patrick Cripps (Carlton)
We’ve been fooled before, but it’s difficult to think of a time in the last 18 months when the Carlton skipper has looked this invigorated. When else in that time has he had more metres gained than anyone else on the field? Relishing the presence of a solid support cast, Cripps bulldozed the Tigers’ midfield to gather 30 touches, eight clearances and three goals.

Dan Houston (Port Adelaide)
This was a big four-quarter effort from Houston, who accumulated and sent the Power inside 50 all night, and whose late goal (his second) was their only major in the final term. Houston has produced these monster games before, but if he can do it regularly in 2022, the perceived lack of spread in Port Adelaide’s midfield might be a non-issue.

HALF FORWARDS

Nic Martin (Essendon)
One of the last players picked for an AFL list in season 2022, produced one of the most brilliant performances of round one. Martin, who was invited to train with Essendon after catching eyes for Subiaco in the WAFL, stunned on debut for the Bombers, with five goals to go along with 27 disposals and 10 marks.

Joe Daniher (Brisbane)
It was vintage Joe on Saturday night at the Gabba – in just about every way one would expect. While the unnecessary handball on half-time and a few sprayed shots have drawn attention, the way that Daniher leapt strongly and clunked the ball at its highest point was very promising, and his four goals with four contested marks was a big contribution.  

Luke Parker (Sydney)
For the fourth time, Parker was best on ground in the Sydney derby. The Swans co-captain was immense, with a bag of five featuring some superb snaps that just kept finding the middle of the goals. What a luxury it would be for John Longmire to have Parker spend solid minutes as a marking option up forward this year.

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FORWARDS

Josh Rachele (Adelaide)
Adelaide fans were undoubtedly disappointed to go down in such fraught circumstances, but a major silver lining would have been the brilliance of debutant Josh Rachele. The highly-rated Shepparton Swans alumni was every bit as creative, bold and skilful as was foretold, and his ability to hit the scoreboard in all four quarters was highly valuable.

Tom Hawkins (Geelong)
Any funny ideas about a fading Tom Hawkins were put to bed within 60 minutes of his season getting under way. The Geelong champion booted four goals and effectively bullied the Essendon defence out of the game by the main break, and while he eased up after a job well done in the first half, he still topped the round with 14 score involvements.

Izak Rankine (Gold Coast)
Expectations are so high for Rankine that it can be easy to forget that he’s only played 30 games of AFL football, all of them as a small forward in a lowly side. He looked a much more complete player on Sunday night, still sharp as always with four excellent goals, but adding a career-high 23 disposals and some strong defensive work.  

FOLLOWERS

Jack Hayes (St Kilda)
Another brilliant, somewhat unexpected performance. Whilst Hayes didn’t do a lot of damage rucking directly against Brodie Grundy, his work around the ground was as influential as we’ve seen from a ruckman on debut. He arose at decisive moments to take four contested marks among 10 in total, and three goals showcased a strong skill set with the footy.

Christian Petracca (Melbourne)
AFL footy is too easy for Christain Petracca at the moment. The Norm Smith medalist continued on his merry way in the return bout on Wednesday night, tormenting the Dogs on his way to 38 touches, nine clearances, 13 score involvements and two goals. He may be reaching a consistent level of form that we’ve only seen from the greats of the modern game.

Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong)
Like Hawkins, Dangerfield gave no indication whatsoever that he is on the wane with a classic performance against the hapless Dons. In an ominous sign for both parties, the Geelong superstar brushed aside the opposing centre square starters with total impunity, and made the most of his dominance with a rarely-seen four goal assists.  

INTERCHANGE

Tom Green (GWS)
A career-best game from the young Giants midfield bull, who reeled in personal best numbers in disposals, tackles and clearances. Even more pleasing was his ability to hit the scoreboard with two goals, including a fantastic set shot from 50 metres, the icing on an excellent game. He looks primed for a big year.

Jack Gunston (Hawthorn)
It only took half a quarter for Hawks fans, and indeed the footy world, to remember how important and influential Gunston is to the operation of that side, and his marking was a genuine stand out in the entire round. A great example of how the body might get slower and sorer, but craft and football smarts are perpetual assets.

Isaac Heeney (Sydney)
The irrepressible Sydney star slotted a clever goal in the first minute of the match, and continued on from there, demonstrating his supreme capacity to make things happen both up forward and in the middle. Three goals along with 25 touches and, importantly, six stoppage clearances, is a sign of what the Swans hope will be a big year in multiple roles.  

Matt Rowell (Gold Coast)
Rowell was rightly lauded for his performance on the weekend, but had any other player had 33 disposals, nine clearances, 10 score involvements and been completely and unfairly poleaxed only to get up and help their side seal victory in just their 17th game, one can’t help but feel there’d be a lot more fanfare. It seems as though so much has happened already in Rowell’s short career. Fortunately there’s much, much more to come.

STIFF TO MISS
Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle), Sam Docherty (Carlton), Matthew Kennedy (Carlton), Ben Brown (Melbourne), Tyson Stengle (Geelong), Travis Boak (Brisbane), Aaron Naughton (Western Bulldogs), Ben Keays (Adelaide), Jordan De Goey (Collingwood), Darcy Moore (Collingwood)