Grinners

Adelaide
The Crows have history, Carlton mid-2000s, excepted, on their side. They also have a draw featuring double games against Port Adelaide, GWS and Gold Coast. They’ve defeated a couple of top 2011 sides in the process as well.

Finals footy beckons for the Crows, and it may be on their merits rather than simply their draw. Add the two together and there’s a side which could end up even giving the top four a crack.

Port Adelaide
They are rather good at making Melbourne look bloody stupid.

North Melbourne
A win against a finals side.

The Supergoal
Arguments for its inclusion improve when you have a NAB Cup final like that.

I don’t agree with Demetriou’s argument that it will be brought in. Heck, leaving the rules alone for a while (a decade perhaps) would be better for the game as a whole, particularly with the AFL trying to expand the game’s supporter base. That said, it’s great to watch players hoof it 55 metres and get rewarded for it.

Fremantle
A great game, a tough loss to take, but it’s improvement nevertheless out west. Ross Lyon would be pleased.

Sydney
A regulation win against a new side before a regulation win against a new side next weekend. Steady she blows.

AFL Fans
No more Mickey Mouse, ‘its only the pre-season’ excuses. Footy is back properly next weekend, thank goodness.

Moaners

Collingwood and St Kilda
Not a particularly great game, and injuries to important players for both. In particular, seeing Hayes go down again was terrible. Questions will be forced to be asked over Collingwood’s depth as well as St Kilda’s reliance on their cream.

West Coast
Not due to an outright loss in the NAB, as pre-season finalists generally do well in the season proper, but the loss of Mark Nicoski hurts a forward-line already missing its most dangerous weapon in 2012.

Oh, and my Ultimate Footy team.

Melbourne
No Col Sylvia for six weeks instead of one and a whole team on notice. And probably deservedly so, being annihilated in the possessionn count and on the scoreboard. Mark Neeld suggested players could be sacked, and on Friday’s performance that’s probably deserved.

The Video Review
Being canned left, right and centre by commentators is doing it no favours. I’m a fan, because we can’t have it both ways. It could be a Tom Hawkins ‘goal’ once again, or we can have a video review system.

It works well. It can’t take any less time, because hell, 40 seconds is pretty quick to make a decision, they have it ready to go at the grounds and it will only get better as they actually do it.

Carlton
Quickly running out of excuses for losing. That line-up looked pretty strong to me. Still some missing, but there’s only so much time left.

Expect this to bite the author in the behind in six weeks’ time, though.

GWS
Injury to a ‘star’ in Tom Scully and a double report to another in Israel Folau. The cynic in me will suggest that Folau will not be suspended, but losing Scully is certainly a blow. Not how they’d want to start.

Brisbane
Quickly becoming inconsistent, and may become untippable as it’s impossible to know which Brisbane will show up. One is hard at it, highly competitive and can give the top four a crack, while the other is wooden spoon potential.