Hawthorn young gun Changkuoth Jiath continues to go from strength to strength. Photo: GETTY IMAGES

FULL BACKS

Sam Collins (Gold Coast)
Another outstanding defensive performance from the Suns’ reigning best-and-fairest, who had 13 intercepts from 14 possessions on Saturday night and completely blanketed North’s Nick Larkey. Collins has become a reliable, competitive beast, and Gold Coast has the key back position locked away for at least the next eight years.

Dougal Howard (St Kilda)
While most of his teammates looked a bit lacklustre coming off a physically demanding win in round one, Howard excelled against the Demons, gathering the footy 29 times and taking eight marks. His long kicking out from full back was a particular highlight as he regularly cleared the zone and clocked up a game high 769 metres gained.

Jordan Ridley (Essendon)
Ridley continues to play his role incredibly well, and held firm against an all-out assault on his defensive area against Port Adelaide with 32 touches, eight intercepts, and 12 rebound 50s. In a team that seems to be entering a transition phase, it must be gratifying for Bombers fans to know that Ridley is going to perform in his position every week.

HALF BACKS

Christian Salem (Melbourne)
Probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being a consistent and reliable player over quite a few years now, but Melbourne players love getting the ball in his hands because they know they’re almost certainly going to retain the footy. Had 30 disposals, 10 marks and displayed typical precision by foot against what is a dangerous St Kilda forward line.

Darcy Moore (Collingwood)
The Moore v McKay battle on Thursday night was an interesting one. McKay took his opportunities to boot four goals, but Moore was dominant in the air and clearly made up that deficit with his 18 intercepts and superb one-on-one marking. Someone is going to have to produce a remarkable season if they are to be named All-Australian centre-half back instead of him.

Changkuoth Jiath (Hawthorn)
Football clubs love to drop narrative primers between January and March regarding players who are “training the house down,” “burning up the track,” or for whom “the penny has dropped.” In the case of Jiath, who looked fantastic both overhead and at ground level in a career-best game on Sunday, the walk is more than matching the talk.

CENTRES

Noah Anderson (Gold Coast)
A sensational game from the young star, who had 35 disposals against a hapless North Melbourne on Saturday night, beating his previous highest disposal tally by nine. Played a pivotal role as the defensive wingman, with seven intercepts, nine marks and 21 uncontested possessions. One of a number of Suns players who make them appointment viewing.

Taylor Adams (Collingwood)
Like a few other Magpies who didn’t quite meet the mark in round one, Adams looked like a man on a mission on Thursday night. Combined beautifully with Brodie Grundy out of the centre square to pick up 13 clearances, 29 disposals, seven tackles, and a goal. Adams has really found that balance between attack and defence over the last 12 months.

Zak Butters (Port Adelaide)
Butters found the footy 36 times (easily his career high) and was typically electric in and around the contest on the wing and at half forward. A clean and clever player, he has all the traits to become an inside midfielder in time. Seven intercepts to go with eight score involvements demonstrates how hard he worked up and down the ground.

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HALF FORWARDS

Jordan De Goey (Collingwood)
Whilst it might suit Jordan De Goey to play on the ball, there is no doubt that it suits the Collingwood Football Club to have him in the role he played on Thursday night as a pure forward. Along with Adams, De Goey set up the win for the Magpies with a big four-goal first half. A simply beautiful footballer in full flight.

Eric Hipwood (Brisbane)
When he’s good, he’s very, very good. After Geelong burst out of the blocks on Friday with five of the first six goals, it was Hipwood who steadied the ship and kept his side in touch with two goals (and two misses) from the Lions’ 2.5 quarter-time total. His influence continued throughout the game, finishing with four great goals and some telling marks.

Errol Gulden (Sydney)
Some players enter the league and, despite height, weight or experience, just look immediately comfortable at the level. Gulden has made a faultless start to his career, notching up 22 touches, nine score involvements and a goal on Saturday to go with his near-best-on-ground outing on debut last week. Already a creative force across half forward.

FULL FORWARDS

Lachie Schutlz (Fremantle)
Schultz enjoyed a mini-breakout season in 2020, but looks poised to go to an even greater level this year as the Dockers continue to develop their high octane, attacking game style. Has that low centre of gravity that makes him hard to beat at ground level, and is also a great set shot for goal, traits he put together to great effect against the Giants.

Taylor Walker (Adelaide)
What exactly are we witnessing here? Yes, it’s only two games, but ‘Tex’ hasn’t kicked back-to-back bags of five or more since midway through 2016. There’s something different about the way that Walker is getting involved in all facets of the game so far this season, and four free kicks from tackles inside 50 is testament to that.

Kysaiah Pickett (Melbourne)
Despite missing the last month of pre-season training, and only arriving back at the club days prior to round one, Pickett has started his 2021 campaign in electrifying fashion. Kicked two absolute rippers on Saturday, along with a career high 17 disposals. Already has a huge presence on the field for someone who’s played less than 20 games.

FOLLOWERS

Nic Naitanui (West Coast)
Did what Brodie Grundy couldn’t last weekend and comfortably prevailed over the Stefan Martin/Tim English pairing on Sunday afternoon. He looked every bit his exceptional 2020 best, leading his side in clearances and inside 50s, and collecting 40 hitouts. There simply isn’t a ruckman in the league who can go with him at stoppage.

Marcus Bontempelli (Western Bulldogs)
Played a classic last quarter to get his side over the line after the Dogs went in two goals down at three-quarter time. Bontempelli somehow popped up everywhere when it mattered, winning contested footy in the middle, repelling from defence and getting forward to calmly slot the sealing goal (his third) in the dying seconds.

Clayton Oliver (Melbourne)
A great on-baller’s game from Oliver, who doesn’t seem at all hindered by his interrupted pre-season after two great performances to start the year. Thirty-seven touches and 11 clearances are always impressive numbers, but when Oliver uses his burst to run and carry the ball away from stoppage as he did on Saturday, there’s few better in the competition.

INTERCHANGE

Joel Selwood (Geelong)
A really solid start for the Cats’ skipper, who is embarking on his 15th season at AFL level. His performance on Friday night had all the hallmarks of a great Joel Selwood game – 27 disposals, seven clearances, two telling goals, and five free kicks. After spending some time on the wing in recent years, it’s good to see the champ back in the centre square.

Braeden Campbell (Sydney)
We’ve heard plenty about the prodigious left peg on the Swans’ new academy gun, and on Saturday we very much got to see it in action. Campbell had 21 kicks, went at 80 per cent efficiency from his 25 disposals, and combined well with more seasoned teammates in Jake Lloyd and Jordan Dawson to run the footy and launch Sydney’s unrelenting attack from defence.

Andrew Brayshaw (Fremantle)
With Freo coach Justin Longmuir effectively handing the midfield over to his younger brigade (with the ageless David Mundy for support), Brayshaw is looking more comfortable as the main man each week. There were plenty of highlights last year, but his two-goal, 32-disposal effort as the dominant midfielder on the ground may have been the best of his career.

Jack Macrae (Western Bulldogs)
Macrae ran around doing what he does best on Sunday – accumulating a stack of the footy, and delivering it to teammates in a better position. There were some question marks over his role going into this season, as in the past he’s been pushed out to a wing or half forward, but clearly he’s right in the centre of coach Luke Beveridge’s preferred centre-square combination.

STIFF TO MISS

David Mundy (Fremantle), Shane McAdam (Adelaide), Tom Barrass (West Coast), Charlie Dixon (Port Adelaide), Ollie Wines (Port Adelaide), Jack Steele (St Kilda), Tom Mitchell (Hawthorn), Dustin Martin (Richmond), Brodie Grundy (Collingwood), Adam Saad (Carlton)