Top 100 AFL Round 2, Part 1

Round 2 started sensationally with Carlton proving (at this stage) they are the ‘real deal’ by convincingly beating the Western Bulldogs, Sydney bringing Geelong back to earth and Collingwood giving a bit of a boost. hope to the fans by beating Adelaide by a good margin.

All three teams started the season 2-0 and although it is far too early to be queuing for tickets to the final, Carlton fans will enjoy the back-to-back wins against quality opponents, a scenario the Blues haven’t achieved in the opening two rounds in over a decade.

Collingwood’s 2-0 start against more modest opposition was also their best start in nearly a decade. Brisbane became the fourth side to make a 2-0 start with a four-goal win over a much-improved Essendon.

The Collingwood-Adelaide match was good news for both coaches. Although Matthew Nicks was aiming for a win, he knew it was a big ask without his main kicker/goal decoy, Tex Walker, and was looking for a spirited effort that provided the mantra of today’s football: multiple scoring opportunities from various participants. and we would have been delighted if all of his goalscorers except Brodie Smith and 22-year-old Lachlan Sholl were players signed in the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Craig McRae would also be delighted that five of his goalscorers – with a total of 37 games for the Magpies in total – have now scored 38 goals.

Buddy’s effort in the Sydney match was magnificent, but Isaac Heeney’s effort should not be overlooked. His five goals (after three last week) in an impressive Swans win and sees him as the club’s leader tied for the Coleman Medal with Hawthorn’s Mitch Lewis after Saturday’s games.

Heeney’s tally of 156 goals means he left behind 1970s player Stewart Gull and current teammate Josh Kennedy and joined the highly decorated Ron Clegg on the Swans top 100 scorers list. Clegg won the Brownlow Medal in 1949, three Better and Fairer Swans and captained the team for six years.

By the end of the night, the three new club managers in 2022 had all started 2-0, two favorite contenders for the premiership (Western Bulldogs and Port Adelaide) were 0-2, and Luke Breust had three goals and had joins Robert Walls, Alex Jesalenko, Malcolm Blight and Drew Petrie on 444 goals.

Fellow Hawthorn striker Jack Gunston had also scored three goals and cemented his position in the AFL Top 100 Goalscorers list.

Meanwhile, Melbourne became the sixth team (out of 12) to achieve a perfect start to the season, and Max Gawn got the one goal he needed to become one of Melbourne’s top 100 goalscorers in 126 years. existence of the club.

Two new players had made their debuts in Round 2, but Tex Wanganeen remained an unused medical substitute for Essendon, while Josh Sinn picked up 11 possessions in his debut game for Port Adelaide.

Nathan Kreuger from Collingwood and Sam Skinner from Port Adelaide were two players who came on after brief careers at their home clubs. Kreuger played two games at Geelong before his move to the Magpies and started well with two goals but unfortunately picked up the injury late in the game.

Skinner was previously a Brisbane player, having played three games there in 2021. On his debut for Port Adelaide, he had ten possessions in a side that was solidly defeated.

Whoever picked the top two teams on the ladder on Saturday night to be Hawthorn and Collingwood, and the bottom team to be Port Adelaide, must have a wonderful crystal ball

Another great football season is underway!