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Find your Sport Nation frequencyThe big talking points and questions out of Opening Round
Lachlan Geleit • March 9th, 2025 8:11 pm
Opening Round taught us plenty about the AFL.
While we didn’t get the full slate of games that we were hoping for, fans were still treated to two blockbuster fixtures in the Harbour City.
With the Hawks getting off to a flyer against the Swans and the Giants putting the Magpies away in a heated battle, here’s what we learned from the weekend’s results.
2024 was no fluke for the Hawks, this side is here to stay
Hawthorn were viewed quite interestingly after their barnstorming finish to 2024.
While many expected them to continue on their merry way and keep tracking on their linear progression upward, others were unsure how they’d handle the hype and scrutiny of no longer being the underdog in 2025.
Obviously, it’s only a small sample size, but at first glance, it appears like those concerns don’t hold much weight.
Up against an elite outfit on their home turf, the Hawks were a class above in the middle and stepped up when they were tested by Sydney fightbacks.
After the Swans kicked four goals in a row to start the third quarter to trail by just two points, it suggested that the momentum had completely flipped, but the Hawks had enough toughness and steel about them to stave them off and slowly grind their opposition out of the game.
That’s the kind of stubbornness you expect from a real contender, and the Hawks look to be just that in 2025.
It’s early, but GWS should have the best defence in the AFL this season
While GWS eventually put a tired Collingwood to the sword late on Sunday, it was their defence that set up the game.
Even though some would look at the score and think that Collingwood simply blew their chances at goal given they had only one less scoring shot to three-quarter time, those watching saw a different story.
There weren’t many times that any Collingwood player had an inch of space inside 50, such was GWS’ ground ball pressure, and that’s without even mentioning Sam Taylor.
Already the best defender in the competition, Taylor put in an absolute masterclass of a performance on Sunday and deserves three Brownlow votes for his effort.
The Pies even had more inside 50s than the Giants but still went down by 52 points, that’s how immense this GWS backline was.
If they can keep this up, there’s absolutely no doubt they’ll be the AFL’s stingiest backline in 2024.
Will Day looks ready to explode
Perhaps the main reason behind Hawthorn’s midfield domination on Friday night was the performance of Will Day in the middle.
The smooth mover helped himself to a ridiculous 26 disposals, three goals and nine clearances in a clear best-afield outing.
We all know the talent this on-baller possesses, but we may be set to see it come together as a full package in 2025.
Turning 24 in June, Day looks destined to explode this campaign and really put himself among the competition’s elite midfielders.
If he can remain healthy, and that is a big if given his history, perhaps a maiden All-Australian blazer beckons.
So that’s why St Kilda offered Finn Callaghan $1.7 million a season
Many raised their eyebrows once reports emerged of St Kilda’s $17 million offer for Finn Callaghan over 10 years, but based on his performance on Sunday… you can see what they’re thinking.
The 21-year-old had 33 disposals, 7 clearances and kicked two majors including one of the best running goals we’ll see this season. But it was the eye test where the young gun truly passed the test.
Callaghan has always had the athletic traits to really dominate, but he looks to have added some genuine breakaway speed to his game over the summer as he backed himself to simply run away from congested against the Magpies.
He was just about the only midfielder on the ground who looked like they could do that all day.
If it’s a sign of things to come, you can see why both the Giants and rival clubs rate this young talent so highly.
The AFL did the right thing by postponing the Queensland games, but their fixture call thereafter doesn’t pass the pub test
The AFL should be commended for their early call to postpone the Lions v Cats and Suns v Bombers games, but some of their decision-making since hasn’t been welcomed by footy fans.
While it was an easy call to shift the Brisbane v Geelong game back to Round 3 when both teams were scheduled to have a bye, Gold Coast and Essendon will now have to face off in Round 24 where they’ll both play two games in a single round to finish off the season.
It means that the ladder will be out of shape for the entire 2025 season, particularly once every team has taken their week off with the bye during the middle of the year, with both the Suns and Bombers lagging a game behind until Round 24.
While there were obvious difficulties with putting this game anywhere else on the schedule, surely anywhere but the end of Round 24 would have made things easier to swallow for footy fans.
