Darcy Parish’s timely reminder and Sam Lalor’s Dusty moment as Dons trounce Tigers

Peter Wright, Nate Caddy and Kyle Langford, who rarely played together last season, booted nine goals between them and, barring injury, will start the season as Essendon’s main forward targets.

Lachlan Blakiston, who started in the ruck, has his nose in front to get first crack to replace the void left by Todd Goldstein and Sam Draper.

Richmond gave a glimpse in the first quarter of what their end product in a few years might look like, but their final three terms is closer to the reality confronting their fans this season.

Several of their bevy of early picks showed enough for supporters to fork out for a membership.

Sam Grlj was exciting off half-back. Sam Lalor took a powerful grab over Jacob Nguyen in the first quarter, but was put on ice in the second half after an unpleasant knock to the groin. Harry Armstrong took a few big marks in attack.

The Tigers will improve considerably once premiership heroes Nick Vlastuin, Tom Lynch, Noah Balta and Nathan Broad return to the line-up.

The moment

The 1500 or so mainly Bombers fans who “worked from home” or skipped school to be at The Hangar would have loved the second quarter, particularly the passage of play that led to Kyle Langford’s second goal of the term. Archie Roberts, Sam Durham and Jye Caldwell chained handballs from the wing to half-forward, then changed lanes to the far side for Jayden Nguyen to kick deep where Langford crumbed out the back. This expansive style is how football will be played in 2026, at least during the warmer months.

The eye-catcher

Given how long it’s been since Darcy Parish has had a decent run at it, it’s easy to forget how good a player he can be. The veteran Bomber played less in the first quarter, when the Dons were outplayed, but was prominent in the second term when his team kicked seven goals in a row.

He found plenty of the ball, moved freely and kicked well, the latter an area of his game that has upset Essendon fans. After just three games last year, he will be a welcome addition to Brad Scott’s whiteboard.

Sam Grlj has put himself firmly in the frame for a debut in round one against Carlton. The No.8 pick from last year’s draft, Grlj was productive in the first quarter when the Tigers controlled the play, impressing with his speed and run. His run up the wing then cut inside to find fellow first-round draftee Sam Cumming for a goal on the quarter-time siren would have received nods of approval from Adem Yze’s coaching staff.

The injuries

Sam Lalor missed the second half after a knock to the groin. Elijah Tsatas, the No.5 pick from 2022, played in the reserves practice match so he could get more minutes after an interrupted summer.

Absent

Essendon: Zach Merrett*, Elijah Tsatas, Sullivan Robey, Issac Kako, Will Setterfield, Nik Cox, Jordan Ridley, Archie Perkins, Vigo Visentini, Lewis Hayes, Harry Jones, Nick Bryan, Mason Redman, Nic Martin, Tom Edwards.

Richmond: Nick Vlastuin, Dion Prestia, Sam Banks, Josh Smillie, Maurice Rioli, Tom Lynch, Noah Balta, Judson Clarke, Samson Ryan, Nathan Broad*, Tom Sims, Seth Campbell.
* Played in State of Origin

What the coaches said

Richmond development coach Jack Ziebell on Sam Lalor: “He’s had a really impressive summer. As a junior, he really didn’t get to do any preseasons. So where he’s come from to, hopefully, where he’s going to be, this is a really important summer for him. He’s done everything we’ve asked of him so far. He was one on managed minutes today, and he got through that really well, barring a little knock into an area that we don’t want to talk about.”

Essendon midfield coach Ben Jacobs on Darcy Parish: “When you talk to some of these older players, they’re not talking about their bodies, they’re talking about football. So I’ve enjoyed those ‘convos’ with him, and I think he’s just enjoyed a new lease of life. It’s continuity in his training. He’s been one of the best trained over pre-season. He’s had a good build-up, and now he can let loose. He’s a competitor, and so getting back into those competition-type environments, it’s been great to see him happier doing so.”

The verdict

The Bombers will be better than last year if they are spared the sort of injury toll that destroyed their 2025 campaign. A midfield of Merrett, Caldwell, Parish and Sam Durham will keep them competitive in most games.

Until the young Tigers can bed down their defensive system under Adem Yze, a lot rests on Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper to win the ball and shield an inexperienced team from the pressure that comes with constantly defending.

Gold Coast v St Kilda

People First Stadium
St Kilda 16.11 (107) d Gold Coast 4.12 (36)
– Michael Gleeson

The match

If there was hype out of Moorabbin after their bold, defiantly aggressive off-season trading, it is nothing on how they will feel now after their first hit-out against an opposition.

Indeed, not just a win – it was a 10-goal touch-up of an opposition fancied as a premiership favourite.

OK, the Suns played David Swallow who retired last year and Alex Sexton who was delisted at season’s end, had players missing because of State of Origin or injury and benched virtually every good player as they managed their game time, but let’s not quibble – St Kilda were good.

The Suns, when they had their stronger team out there, kicked three goals in the first quarter and took a lead into the first break. They then didn’t kick another goal for two quarters as St Kilda rolled through them. In the first term when the Suns were strong, Alix Tauru was conspicuously good behind the ball.

This was not a match to draw definitive conclusions on new players because of those competing interests from the coaches in getting ready for Opening Round and because the dew made the game slippery, but it was still the first look at the two clubs who were as aggressive in the off-season as anyone.

In the red (white and black) corner, there was Tom De Koning and, to a lesser extent, Sam Flanders and Liam Ryan.

In the blue (and red and yellow) corner, the Suns added Christian Petracca and Jamara Ugle-Hagan.

The Saints paid the big money and landed the big man in TDK. He was good in his first game, serviceable without being sensational. He played well in the first quarter when the game was more competitive and he was rested in the last quarter. For a pre-season game serviceable is enough to be happy with.

Jack Silvagni slotted in well to defence taking a couple of nice intercept marks early before suffering a concussion.

Flanders, the former Sun was probably the best on ground playing on-ball against his old team. He is not flashy, he doesn’t burn the ground, but he is composed in his thinking and reliable by foot and just gets the ball.

Liam Ryan didn’t do much early on, aside from nearly taking mark of the night in the third quarter, but in the last term he kicked a goal, set up two others and, with the game opened right up, found a lot of dangerous space.

Petracca was seamless in his transition to a new team. He broke from the middle a couple of times and delivered long to leading forwards. He set up one goal in the first term, centring a ball rather than taking a snap. He missed the chance for his first goal as a Sun when he pushed a set shot wide but he looked thoroughly composed.

Ugle-Hagan, who didn’t play a senior game for the Bulldogs last year for myriad personal reasons, was understandably scratchy, especially in the conditions. He snapped a goal after gathering a loose ground ball in the last quarter.

Max Hall booted four goals, Darcy Wilson ran well, and Mitch Owens was a good target early

Another Saints recruit Charlie Banfield looked able to fit in at the level, adding depth for the Saints.

The moment: Rohan Marshall wanted a trade to Geelong when TDK was brought in, assuming he would be squeezed for time as first ruck. Ross Lyon blocked the contracted ruckman from moving, believing he could make it work with De Koning in a ruck-forward pairing.

So further to all of that, it was pleasing then to see Marshall kick the first goal of the game from the top of the goal square after out-marking Jarryd Witts.

As far as take-outs for the Saints, this was a moment to dwell on.

The eye-catchers: There is always something eye-catching about Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera streaming through the middle of the ground in the third quarter. The first eye-catching bit was it was a centre bounce infringement because Ned Moyle stepped over the line in the centre circle which is now no longer allowed. Milera streamed past accepting the handball and speared a ball on to the chest of a leading forward.

(Another eye-catcher was Kayo/Fox having to run an apology across the bottom of the broadcast for the poor picture quality, blaming the incoming feed they received. Then they lost transmission altogether. Yes, this is the billion-dollar AFL industry. At least they acknowledged the problem, but then it was hard to ignore. The picture was really crappy).

The injuries

Jack Silvagni concussion. Lots of cramp for players on both sides.

Absent

St Kilda: Max King, of course, was missing. New co-captain Jack Sinclair and Bradley Hill both missed because of having played State of Origin.

Gold Coast: Noah Anderson, Ben King and Sam Collins were missing because of State of Origin, Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell was missing because of surgery on his finger for an injury picked up in the Origin match. Wil Powell played Origin but still backed up to play the first quarter of the practice game.

The verdict

The Saints couldn’t have done much more. It is not their fault the Suns went into the game with other priorities.

The Saints’ new players all did enough and found their place in the Saints system. They got run in their legs. They moved the ball well and they looked dangerous. It was hard in the conditions for tall players.

The Suns got time into Leo Lombard, who had a few games last year and looks ready to play more this season, and they had a first look at top academy players from the draft last year in Zeke Uwland and Dylan Patterson, who both looked impressive.

Western Bulldogs v Sydney

Whitten Oval
Sydney 15.9 (99) d Western Bulldogs 9.12 (66)
– Peter Ryan

The match

Is it too early for Sydney fans to get excited?

Their twin towers in attack – Charlie Curnow and Logan McDonald – dominated their first hit-out together and they did not really have to get out of first gear to do so, with both players kicking four goals. Such was their dominance, the Swans’ first eight goals came from the pair of talls and crumbing forward Malcolm Rosas jnr, who joined from the Gold Coast ahead of this season. Add Tom Papley, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, and the chance for it to rain goals at the SCG on occasions this season is high.

The Bulldogs were missing six State of Origin players, which meant the opportunities provided to Sydney’s forwards were more plentiful than they may have been otherwise. James O’Donnell, Buku Khamis and Luke Cleary took time to find their feet but combined better defensively as the game wore on. However, the Bulldogs’ work up the ground will be critical to limit opposition scoring against quality opposition.

Both teams were rusty and, if anything, the Bulldogs used the ball better than the Swans, who often turned it over when trying to play through the middle. But the respective strength of the two line-ups meant a Sydney win was inevitable. Errol Gulden’s kicking was a feature, with his importance to the team obvious. He is a smart player, but he also benefited from Brodie Grundy’s strength at the contest. Grundy worked his way into the game as he adapts to the revised ruck rules. His effectiveness at the hitouts might suffer, but he has always been a player whose value rests in his ability to fight for the football on the ground, and he looks fit and ready to do that again.

The moment: Errol Gulden streamed out of the centre late in the final quarter and kicked the ball deep into the goal square, where Isaac Heeney nudged Cleary under the ball to mark and goal. It was a passage of play the Swans missed for the first half of last season. The pair look ready to drive the opposition mad in 2026. The star-on baller also kicked a goal himself after finding space from a forward-50 stoppage.

The eye-catchers: All eyes were on boom recruit Curnow as he played his first match in new colours. The key forward pushed up high to win the ball and was a prominent target inside 50. He moved well to kick four goals. McDonald, who missed last season with injury, was also impressive kicking accurately to finish with four goals. The pair shape as a dangerous combination in 2026, although the Swans say Joel Amartey and Hayden McLean will vie for a spot inside 50 too. Isaac Heeney played as a deep forward in the second half and showed why he is one of the game’s superstars with his bodywork in aerial contests unstoppable.

Arthur Jones has shown glimpses of his talent but has not cemented a spot inside 50 for the Bulldogs. He kicked three goals, but it was his willingness to get involved and follow up with second efforts which impressed. Lachie Jaques has grown in confidence, pushing up at contests to make an impact. He is a distributor by foot and, although he missed the odd kick, he is a chance to make his debut early in the season. Jordan Croft stepped up as the key forward. His attack on the ball is fearless.

The injuries

Western Bulldogs: The Bulldogs played down the knock to the knee that forced Bailey Dale out of the game at quarter-time, leaving them light on for senior players. Lachie Bramble, who was to play managed minutes, replaced him. The club’s six State of Origin representatives were not playing and half a dozen are on the injured list. Adam Treloar and Laitham Vandermeer did not play, but both will come under consideration against Hawthorn next week. Riley Garcia is recovering from a long-term hamstring injury and Cody Weightman remains sidelined as he attempts to overcome a knee issue.

Sydney: Callum Mills had a quiet game as he returned to the fray having had a hamstring injury interrupt his pre-season, but the skipper knows how to prepare for opening round. Papley is expected to return against the Giants after training solidly. Taylor Adams will have a delayed start as he overcomes his Achilles injury, while Harry Cunningham’s quad strain will take time to recover.

Absent

Western Bulldogs: Marcus Bontempelli*, Lachlan Carmichael, Sam Darcy*, Josh Dolan, Tim English*, Riley Garcia, Rory Lobb*, Aaron Naughton*, Ed Richards*, Adam Treloar, Laitham Vandermeer, Cody Weightman.

Sydney: Riak Andrew, Ned Bowman, Billy Cootee, Noah Chamberlain, Harry Cunningham, Will Edwards, Will Green, Tom Hanily, Liam Hetherton, Max King, Harry Kyle, Justin McInerney, Tom Papley, Jevan Phillipou, Patrick Snell, Chad Warner*

(*Played in Origin on Saturday)

What the coaches said

Daniel Pratt (Western Bulldogs assistant): “It was a no-risk policy with [Bailey Dale]. He just had a knee knock so we took him out. We don’t think there is much in it.”

Ben Mathews (Sydney Swans assistant): “Obviously Charlie [Curnow] brings what Charlie brings. He’s a contested beast and follows up at ground level really, really strongly … Logan [McDonald] is a new forward for us. His impact was strong in both the air and the ground. We are looking a little bit different.”

The verdict

The Bulldogs were competitive against the near full-strength Swans. Their willingness to chain handballs out of defence was obvious while several run down tackles underlined the work they had done in that area this pre-season. Still, they need to clean up some of their contest work.

Sydney are looking for synergy inside 50 with Curnow in the team, however their midfield combination needs work. Gulden is a star but Angus Sheldrick, James Rowbottom and James Jordon are all one-paced, leaving the coach with some work to do on finding the right combination.

Brisbane Lions v Carlton

Brighton Homes Arena, Brisbane
Carlton 15.13 (103) d Brisbane 13.10 (88)
– Andrew Wu

The match

Carlton gave up six of the first seven goals of the game in a listless start then took control after quarter-time in a performance that will raise optimism among their long-suffering supporter base. The Blues, with a new look forward line, led briefly in the third quarter only for the Lions to kick away again before storming home with seven of the last nine goals. It’s dangerous to read too much into match simulation but coach Michael Voss will be pleased with the Blues’ willingness to change lanes in their ball movement instead of kicking long down the line.

The moment: It took just six minutes before Jagga Smith left Blues fans starry eyed. Surging through 50, the boom recruit received a handball from Lachie Fogarty and made no mistake on the run from 40 metres. His midfield intercept in the second term broke a chain of Lions’ handballs and resulted in a goal. Smith, who had less game time in the second half, was not prolific but what he did, he did well.

The eye-catchers: Ben Ainsworth transferred his bright form on the track into his first competitive match for his new club. The former Sun booted four goals playing as a running half-forward connector, a role the Blues have struggled to fill under Voss. Ainsworth filled his brief to a tee, pushing up the ground to be an option out of defence then running back to goal and getting into dangerous positions. Blues fans will warm quickly to the 28-year-old if he can maintain this form.

Small forward Talor Byrne put his hand up for a debut in opening round with three goals in a final-quarter cameo. Selected with pick 45 in last year’s draft, the Warrnambool teenager was a livewire with his speed and smarts around goal as players tired in the heat in their first practice game.

For the Lions, back-to-back Norm Smith medallist Will Ashcroft and younger brother Levi look set for big campaigns. Will found plenty of the ball while Levi is showing the benefits of a full pre-season in the gym with a more chiselled physique. Forgotten Lion Keidean Coleman turned heads early in a new role as a forward, marking strongly on the lead from the goal square. Half-back is his best spot but the Lions are over-indexed in that position, and he will need to play multiple roles to command a regular spot. Lachie Neale had a quiet night against George Hewett.

The injuries

Brisbane Lions: Defender Ryan Lester has entered concussion protocols after copping a knock to the head while attempting to tackle in the second term. Lester appeared dazed immediately after the incident and was also holding his jaw. He did not return to the field.

Carlton: Midfielder Adam Cerra is set to miss the start of the home-and-away season after injuring his hamstring in the third quarter. Cerra, who has a long history of hamstring strains, left the field after pulling up gingerly from a midfield contest. “[He’ll] have scans in the coming days to assess the severity of his hamstring,” Blues assistant coach Josh Fraser said. “We won’t know much more until then. It appears it’s a hamstring injury. As someone who’s been through it before with his professionalism, we know he’ll get back as quick as he can.”

Absent

Brisbane Lions: Charlie Cameron*, Hugh McCluggage*, Sam Draper, Tom Doedee, Logan Morris, Cam Rayner, Luke Beecken, Luke Lloyd, Koby Evans, Henry Smith, James Tunstill, Eric Hipwood, Reece Torrent, Ben Murphy, Jack Payne, Tai Hayes, Noah Answerth.

Carlton: Patrick Cripps*, Jacob Weitering*, Lachie Cowan, Blake Acres, Lucas Camporeale, Harry O’Farrell, Nic Newman, Nick Haynes, Harry Charleson, Jack Ison, Matt Carroll, Rob Monaghan, Matt Duffy, Francis Evans, Flynn Young, Matt Cottrell.

What the coaches said

Brisbane assistant coach Dale Morris said the Lions achieved their aims of getting time into players while experimenting with their line-up. Morris said former West Coast captain Oscar Allen would benefit from his first game in Lions colours. He kicked an early goal but otherwise saw little of the ball against Lewis Young. “I thought he presented well, he competed really well,” Morris said. “These games are about the connection between him and the other forwards, the midfield, them learning his leading patterns and him learning [about] the guys up the field – where they kick it, how they turn and move. He’ll get a lot out of this game.”

Fraser said Ainsworth and Will Hayward had given the Blues’ forward line a fresh look. “I think we’ve become quite dynamic in the front half,” Fraser said. “When you bring in players like Ainsworth, Hayward, even the pre-existing types like [Lachie] Fogarty and [Brodie] Kemp, they give you a different look inside 50. It was important we found different avenues to goal. We didn’t connect on every play but we’re exploring what this looks like. Tonight gave us some really good feedback, to introduce Talor Byrne in the last quarter and for him to kick some goals, we’re starting to build some depth in the front half but it’s really our overall ball movement we’re after.”

The verdict

Brisbane were electric in the first quarter when they dominated in the midfield and moved the ball at speed into their forward line. Kai Lohmann and Zac Bailey were particularly dangerous early. The Lions fielded a less experienced team in the second half when the Blues were at their best.

The Blues were more creative with their ball movement than last year. In one passage of play, they won the ball from stoppage in their defensive 50 and zigzagged their way up the field with a chain of clean possessions by hand and foot, resulting in a goal for the impressive Ainsworth. Their forward line looks more dynamic with more medium-sized forwards who can find space, mark and create pressure at ground level. To kick 15 goals with only one from Harry McKay in their first game since Curnow’s exit can only inspire confidence in Voss’ plan, though tougher tests await in a dress rehearsal next week before the real stuff starts in a fortnight.

Hawthorn v Geelong

Kennedy Community Centre, Dingley
Hawthorn 16.15 (111) d Geelong 14.10 (94)
-Jon Pierik

The match

The Hawks were goalless in the first term, conceding three, but then booted 11 of the next 13 to take control on a day when temperatures in Melbourne soared into the mid-30s. Before a rowdy crowd at their new home base in Dingley, this was an impressive effort by the Hawks, although it was largely expected as the Cats had almost half of their grand final team missing.

The Hawks ended their goal drought nine minutes into the second term when Dylan Moore snapped successfully. From there, the contest turned, despite the Cats enjoying moments of exquisite ball movement through centre wing.

The moment: Hawks’ fans erupted when Connor Nash delivered a super one-step snap from just inside 50 with 11 minutes remaining in the second term. The tall Irishman is known for his defensive prowess, but his goal sense is also well honed.

The eye-catcher: Uncapped Cat Joe Polkinghorne booted three goals, his sticky hands a highlight. He has impressed club officials over summer, and made claims to be a third tall inside attacking 50. James Worpel was well at home in his new hoops as a Cat. Worpel is a former Hawks best and fairest and played 148 games in the brown and gold. Judging by his form on Monday, he will fit seamlessly into the Cats’ midfield.

Having built his reputation on the wing, emerging Cats star Ollie Dempsey spent much of the game as an inside midfielder. Young midfielder Jhye Clark continued to make excellent strides. Shannon Neale was a man mountain in front of goal. There were also encouraging signs in the ruck, shared by Sam De Koning, Mitch Edwards and Joe Pike with veteran Rhys Stanley missing.

For the Hawks, former North Melbourne defender Flynn Perez and VFL star Jack Riding did their best to win the two remaining list spots ahead of the March 2 deadline (should the Hawks opt to fill both spots). Riding’s strong work in tight was impressive, while Perez, with 24 senior games to his credit, was solid in defence and converted a 50m set shot off a free kick in the second term.

Given only the first half, skipper James Sicily moved well and is over the shoulder and groin/hip injuries which curbed his influence last year. Josh Weddle, who is likely to spend more time on a wing in the season proper, spent most of his time in defence. There is always a buzz when Nick Watson has – or is near – the ball. Midfielder Josh Ward was a standout, and is in line to take Worpel’s spot. Jarman Impey, donning Will Day’s No.12 guernsey, provided dash from half-back.

Injuries

Geelong: Tanner Bruhn (illness) was a late withdrawal. Brad Close was involved in a heavy collision with Karl Amon but returned.

Hawthorn: Calsher Dear took a knock to the ribs but returned, and had an impact.

Absent

Hawthorn: Jack Ginnivan, Will Day, Cam Nairn, Will McCabe, Matt Leray, Cody Anderon, Jack Dalton, James Blanck, Matt Hill, Jamie Uhr-Henry, Tom Barrass*, Jack Gunston*, Josh Battle*, Blake Hardwick*

Geelong: Rhys Stanley, Jeremy Cameron, Toby Conway, Shaun Mannagh, Jake Kolodjashnij, Tyson Stengle, Jack Martin, Jesse Mellor, Harley Barker, Keighton Matofai-Forbes, Zach Guthrie, Mark Blicavs, Tanner Bruhn, Patrick Dangerfield*, Bailey Smith*, Max Holmes*, Tom Stewart*, Lawson Humphries*.

(*Played in Origin on Saturday)

What the coaches said

Hawthorn assistant coach David Hale praised Watson’s strong output. “He has had a great summer. He has done everything right. He has got himself into really good condition [to play in the midfield]. It wasn’t surprising the way he played – we have seen that in the pre-season games. We want to expose him a little more around the ball, obviously with Dylan Moore and Connor Macdonald as well. Those types of players we think can bring an x-factor to the group we have got.”

Geelong assistant coach James Rahilly said forward Ollie Henry had impressed, having been overlooked late last year. “He has been working really hard on his game, really disappointed he wasn’t in the team late last year … he went to work, he has got a lot fitter, covering the ground really well.”

The verdict

That Geelong were severely depleted made this contest hard to judge. Their depth appears sound, while a centre-square set up of De Koning, Worpel, Atkins and Dempsey was still A grade. They next face Carlton in a community series clash on February 25. The Hawks know they have work to do if they are to vault into true premiership contention. Watson and Connor Macdonald have trained as midfielders through the summer, and will add drive. The Hawks face the Western Bulldogs in a community series clash on February 27.

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