Australian Football

Round 2

Premiership Season 2015 - Round 2 Review

Total Crowd 295,342 (Avg 32,816)

With two rounds of the 2015 completed, five teams are undefeated and surprisingly, the premiership favourite Hawthorn is not one of them. Adelaide leads the way from Sydney, GWS and Fremantle, while the Western Bulldogs - in fifth place - are perhaps the most unlikely of undefeated sides, putting a summer of woe behind them with impressive wins against West Coast and Richmond.

But the biggest surprise after the second week of the season is surely the fact that Geelong is in 18th place on the ladder. The Cats were 17th after round one, a position they had never previously occupied and this is the first time they have occupied the 18th rung,
A Friday night match at Subiaco kicked off the round and Carlton had a good first quarter, as they had a week earlier against Richmond, before barely giving a yep after the first break to go down by 69 points to a rampant West Coast Eagles. The Eagles, keen to atone for a first-round loss to the Bulldogs, looked a formidable outfit, kicking 20 goals - 10 of those to ex-Blue Josh Kennedy.

The Western Bulldogs showed that their first round win was no flash in the pan, and they did so in style. leading at every change against a Richmond team that got plenty of the ball but had trouble using it well, due in no small part to the intense pressure applied by the Dogs. Tory Dickson led the way for the Dogs, while Jack Riewoldt kicked two for the yellow and black.

Melbourne, another unlikely first-round winner, also looked like making it two in a row in the early part of its encounter with GWS in Canberra. The Demons led at half time by 27 points with the Giants struggling to find the big sticks. But that all changed in the third term with a nine-goal-to-nil quarter which saw GWS 26 points to the good at the last change. The Giants also kicked the first two of the last term to make it 11 on end, and cruised to a 45-point win.

Adelaide defeated Collingwood by 27 points on Saturday night at Docklands Stadium but that margin was in fact a very flattering one for the Magpies. The Crows dominated proceedings for the first three quarters and led by as much as 56 points at the last change, but dropped a gear or two in the final quarter, allowing the Pies to kick six goals to one and add some respectability to their score.

Gold Coast, having been surprisingly been beaten by Melbourne in round one, was expected to bounce back strongly against St Kilda on Saturday night but the Saints, on the back of an eight-goal second-quarter blitz, defied the odds to defeat the Suns by 28 points. Gary Ablett, in his second game back from a shoulder reconstruction, again appeared limited in his arm movement and it was announced several days later that he would take an indefinite rest in a bid to overcome his soreness.

Port Adelaide hosted Sydney at the Adelaide Oval and a high-calibre close encounter was anticipated between two of last season's top four sides. But the Power proved to be no match for the rampant Swans, who dominated - particularly in the second half - to win by 48 points. The Power have now lost two from two and are in danger of losing early touch with the top sides. Sydney on the other hand has two wins from two matches and is looking ominous.

Down at Kardinia Park, Geelong was looking to bounce from a thrashing at the hands of Hawthorn in round one but after an even first half against Fremantle, the Cats were blown away, going down to the Dockers by 44 points. The loss sent the Cats into very unfamiliar territory at the foot of the ladder, while Fremantle sits in fourth place having won two from two, and looks like one of the pacesetters of 2015.

With members of its 1985 premiership side looking on as part of 30th anniversary celebrations, Essendon had a stunning win over reigning premiers Hawthorn at the MCG. The Bombers dominated the game in the first half before fading and surrendering the lead early in the last quarter. The Hawks looked winners, leading by 16 points with only a few minutes remaining but the Dons staged a stunning turn around to kick three very late goals and steal a memorable two-point win.

The round finished off with two first week losers - North Melbourne and Brisbane - doing battle at Docklands on Sunday evening. The Lions were competitive early but North, bitterly disappointed with its first-up effort against the Crows, put them to the sword after quarter time, winning by 82 points. Ex-Blue Jarrad Waite kicked seven goals in his second game for his new club.

Four of the top five sides will meet each other in round three. GWS will take on Sydney and the Dogs will meet the Hawks at York Park, meaning that no more than three sides will be without a loss after the next round of matches.

R-2, Ladder