After Cyclone Alfred blew the AFL's plans out the window, the footy is back with a record-breaking Round 1.
In a thrilling start to the round, Richmond defeated Carlton by 13 points in front of a raucous 80,009 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
With the Tigers entering the season with low expectations, following an off-season clean-out of aging premiership stars (namely Dustin Martin), new talent shone bright on Thursday night.
No. 1 draft pick Sam Lalor gave Tigers fans plenty to get excited about for the future, kicking two crucial goals to sink the hearts of Blues fans. Carlton fans will be hoping for a significant response against Hawthorn in Round 2.
Friday night footy at the MCG drew another large crowd, with 80,735 witnessing the return of Hokball (the name given to the Hawks’ style of footy by younger fans on social media) to the hallowed turf, while Essendon entered the season under some pressure to make the finals.
But the game was relatively stable as the Hawks ran out 26-point winners, taking them to 2-0 to begin the season.
Certainly, this stage of the season indicates the "Hollywood Hawks" must be taken seriously, as they have stamped early credentials against last year’s Grand Finalists Sydney, and now Essendon.
The Saturday matches saw tight contests as well as massive blowouts. Flag fancies Fremantle will have some work to do after a 78-point shellacking at the hands of Geelong, who looked dynamic, with Bailey Smith’s performance showing critics he can get back to his best after 18 months on the sidelines.
It was a similar story at the MCG, with the Pies responding after a disappointing Opening Round performance to defeat Port Adelaide by 91 points. After Port recently announced Ken Hinkley would see out one final year as Head Coach before handing over to Josh Carr (as reported by ), it didn’t begin favourably with the loss to Collingwood being the biggest the club has experienced during Hinkley’s tenure.
A 2024 Grand Final rematch between Sydney and Brisbane offered the Swans a chance at redemption, following their humiliating defeat to the Lions last September.
While not the one-way contest that previously occurred, the Lions managed to win on the road by 4 points and sent an early message that they are up for the fight in their Premiership defence.
Meanwhile, an injury-depleted Western Bulldogs (see report) held off a persistent North Melbourne to open their season with a win, although the contest was marred by a nasty collision between Jackson Archer of the Roos and the Dogs’ Luke Cleary.
Archer’s knee came into contact with Cleary’s head as they were contesting the footy. Archer’s action has seen him handed a three-week suspension from the AFL, while Cleary was stretchered off the ground and will miss the next few games with concussion — bringing player safety from head injuries back into question, according to Guardian Australia.
The Crows came into the 2025 season with much to prove after a mediocre past few seasons and a list that appears on paper to be worthy of seeing finals footy.
Against the Saints, the Crows were too good with a 63-point victory, highlighted by contributions from new recruits such as Alex Neal-Bullen, while captain Jordan Dawson cemented his status as one of the elite midfielders in the competition.
Similarly, the Gold Coast Suns enter the season looking to make their first finals appearance since the club’s inception in 2011, and on Sunday delivered a club-record 87-point victory against a lowly West Coast Eagles in Perth. It was a tough beginning to coaching for Andrew McQualter, who will be hoping his Eagles can bounce back next week with a tricky match-up against Brisbane.
Despite wet weather and an enthralling Formula 1 race at the same time, the fans who did attend the MCG on Sunday were treated to an entertaining battle between the Melbourne Demons and GWS.
In dramatic scenes, the Giants stole the game through unlikely hero Lachie Keeffe having gone coast-to-coast in the final 90 seconds of the game to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by 3 points.
It was not all doom and gloom for Dees fans, with plenty of promise shown from the six debutants who took to the field, while the Giants moved to 2-0 and sit comfortably in first on the ladder to begin the season.
The AFL will be delighted with Round 1 being the most attended round ever, as 431,505 fans came through the gates to support their team. With so many twists this early in the season, 2025 is promising to be an unforgettable one for footy fans.
