It is never too early for storylines to develop in the AFL season. Here are the key takeouts from “round zero”.
Thursday night, SCG
Sydney defeated Melbourne by 22 points
It would have taken less than a quarter for Sydney’s defensive dasher Nick Blakey to make Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin green with envy.
Nick Blakey was at his devastating best against Melbourne on Thursday night.Credit: Channel Seven
The term “unicorn” is used too liberally in sport for freakish athletes but is apt for Blakey, whose teammate Jake Lloyd nicknamed him “the Lizard” within a week of his arrival at the club in late 2018.
Lloyd reckoned Blakey’s running style was akin to the way a lizard slithers across the ground, and the moniker has stuck, becoming a commentary staple of any Swans broadcast. All jokes aside, Sydney’s 196-centimetre weapon is a nightmare for every opposition.
In one moment in the opening term, with the scores locked, Blakey outpointed Jacob van Rooyen in the air to win the ball back at half-forward, bolted away, brushed off Demon Bailey Laurie, then – most impressively of all – delivered a brilliant pass across his body to a diving Isaac Heeney, who slotted a goal.
On the other hand, Melbourne dominated contested possession early, and had plenty of opportunities to turn that into scoreboard pressure, but repeatedly fluffed their entries, whether from uninspiring or ordinary kicks, or a lack of movement from forwards not named Bayley Fritsch.
There was an excuse with the slippery SCG surface, but John Longmire’s Swans were much more efficient before piling on the pain once they took control in the final term.
Bargain Blue shows his worth and where to for the Tigers? Key takeouts from ‘round zero’
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11.03.2024
It is never too early for storylines to develop in the AFL season. Here are the key takeouts from “round zero”.
Thursday night, SCG
Sydney defeated Melbourne by 22 points
It would have taken less than a quarter for Sydney’s defensive dasher Nick Blakey to make Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin green with envy.
Nick Blakey was at his devastating best against Melbourne on Thursday night.Credit:........
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