Lalor cops heavy hit in first outing for Richmond; Bailey Smith makes strong start in Geelong

Project ruckman Oliver Hayes-Brown, a former Perth Wildcat in the National Basketball League, and now a listed rookie after playing with Old Ivanhoe Grammarians last year, also impressed with his work around the ground and up forward.

“He has got the size and athleticism. It’s about bringing the skills across,” Eagles premiership player Will Schofield said while commentating on Kayo.

With several of their prime movers absent, including Tom Lynch, Jacob Hopper, Tim Taranto, Nick Vlastuin, Nathan Broad and skipper Toby Nankervis, Richmond’s only player in the contest with more than 70 games of experience was Kamdyn McIntosh.

Ruckman Sam Ryan, Jack Ross and Thomson Dow all worked hard, while Jacob Koschitzke had a new role in defence, but was beaten by Eagles’ skipper Oscar Allen.

Tigers coach Adem Yze had his team play a high-possession game, but this came unstuck as the ball was too often turned over and they were scorched on the rebound.

“I don’t see this winning many games of footy … but they could be using it to educate all facets of the game,” Schofield said.

The Eagles were sluggish in the first quarter, but then hit the “go” button, dominating through the midfield.

The Tigers were late returning to the field for the third term, the Eagles forced to wait in position for their opponents. It appeared the visitors had forgotten this was a shortened match, with the breaks between terms shortened.

Liam Baker and Jack Graham were impressive – but not for the Tigers. The new Eagles have taken their premiership credentials home to Perth, and both showed why they will be missed at Punt Rd.

Graham was a bull in the midfield, while Baker’s fierce tackling was something the Eagles have lacked.

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Back in the groove: Eagles fans were buoyed to have Elijah Hewett back in action. Hewett, from Swan Districts, had a superb debut year in 2023 but did not play last season because of a foot injury where he consulted a physiotherapist from Australian Ballet in a bid to aid his recovery. He now appears over any issues, and his successful snap for goal in the first term reinforced this.

Recycled talent: Former Blue Matt Owies had his moments inside attacking 50 for the Eagles, while former Hawk Tyler Brockman was lively with three goals, and could be the X-factor the Eagles need. Brockman had a 2024 campaign, his first in the west, impacted by off-field issues, but he now has a clear run at rejuvenating his career. Noah Long was also part of a new-look attack, and has the capability of producing something from nothing working alongside Allen.

Bailey and the Cats get their band together

Peter Ryan

Bailey Smith has burst out of the blocks in his first game for Geelong with 10 touches in the first 15 minutes, his white headband making him impossible to miss. He has combined well with speedster Max Holmes, who has kicked a goal already.

The Cats have swung some changes, with Patrick Dangerfield starting the game forward, Sam DeKoning in the ruck and Connor O’Sullivan getting his chance deep in defence after one game last season, and showing enough confidence in the role to float forward and kick a goal.

Hawthorn has been more conservative. Blake Hardwick has started forward as he has all pre-season while Josh Battle is playing on the Cats small and tall forwards.

O’Sullivan continued to impress in the second term, floating across to take two intercept marks. His hang time is impressive.

Hawthorn’s Will Day has lost none of his class while James Sicily – despite predictions he may play forward – is playing in defence with Tom Barras on his honeymoon.

Sicily is likely to start the season as a defender alongside new recruits Barras and Josh Battle.

Why a search for a sidekick could make or break the Demons

Marc McGowan
Shane McAdam’s cruel Achilles tendon rupture – the latest setback in a career riddled with injuries – has added further mystery to the make-up of Melbourne’s maligned forward line.

The former Crow arrived at the Demons via a trade two years ago in the hope he could add a new element in attack, but played only three games last season and faces another extended absence following likely surgery after hurting himself in match simulation on Friday.

Melbourne’s big hope is Jacob van Rooyen, a 21-year-old key forward who ex-Demon Russell Robertson likened to a “young David Schwarz” for their physical likeness but also fearless attack on the Sherrin.

“I feel like I’ve put in a really strong block over the pre-season. It hasn’t been interrupted at all, and hopefully, it stays that way,” van Rooyen said.

“I’m really looking forward to [this season], and working with the group we have, and building off last year. I’m only 21, so I’ve still got a lot to learn [with] my forward craft.”

Van Rooyen kicked 58 goals across the past two seasons and shapes as a future star, but the Demons are yet to find a reliable second tall target to partner him.

That is one of the reasons Melbourne were the fifth-lowest scoring team in the AFL last year, mustering a paltry 77.6 points per game as they tumbled to 14th on the ladder and missed finals for the first time since 2020.

Coach Simon Goodwin’s experiment with Harry Petty as a forward failed, and he will return to defence this year, while Matt Jefferson – the No.15 pick in the 2022 draft – is yet to play a senior game.

For all their draft success in different areas of the ground, particularly in the midfield, Melbourne have struggled to unearth a key forward besides van Rooyen, with Sam Weideman also a bust as a top-10 pick a decade ago.

They opted not to select one with any of their four first-round picks in the past two drafts, including passing on the likes of Jonty Faull, Harry Armstrong, Jack Whitlock and Thomas Sims last year.

Melbourne instead took a punt on late-bloomer Aidan Johnson, a “very, very aggressive” 193-centimetre forward out of VFL club Werribee and Lavington, with the 68th selection.

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The club’s national recruiting manager Jason Taylor said at the time that he had tracked 24-year-old Johnson for several seasons.

“We think he could potentially have an instant impact for us,” Taylor said. “We’re excited by what he could become.”

The Demons’ two key forwards in their drought-breaking 2021 grand final triumph were the since-retired Ben Brown – secured in a trade with North Melbourne – and Tom McDonald, who started his career as a defender and is back there now.

However, their attempt to transform Brodie Grundy into a forward-ruck in his one season at the club backfired spectacularly; he was not even selected in their finals campaign that year.

Bayley Fritsch, a 188-centimetre lead-up forward, has kicked 38 or more goals in each of the past four seasons and is the most reliable option Melbourne have, while Kysaiah Pickett is one of the game’s best and most prolific small forwards.

Kade Chandler, another small forward, is also a regular goalkicker.

But the Demons lost Alex Neal-Bullen, their best game runner and pressure player, to Adelaide last year after he requested a trade home on compassionate grounds. They recruited fringe Lion Harry Sharp to fill the void.

The latest tall forward being used alongside van Rooyen in attack is Daniel Turner, another ex-defender who was the last pick in the 2021 mid-season draft.

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Turner kicked 17 goals in 15 games last year, including three hauls of at least three. Melbourne rewarded him with a two-year extension in July.

Former Brisbane player Tom Fullarton, a forward-ruck, is also on the Demons’ list, and van Rooyen said having so many options was “a good problem”.

“There are still a lot of guys fighting for those spots,” van Rooyen said. “And they are all looking really strong coming into the year.”

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