AFL - Round One Preview

All the hype is over and now its time to get down to business and all I can say is that I am excited. Wow what a season we have in front of us. It looks like the Geelong juggernaut will roll along with at least 10 other realistic chances to feature deep into the finals. That, however, is a long way off so let's concentrate on this week's season openers.

The season launch looms as a classic match up between Carlton and Richmond, two of Melbourne's most prestigious clubs. There will be 80 000 fans screaming their heads off for two teams that have had no success over the last five years. Both could finish the season in last place but both could make the finals. The start of the season is crucial for both clubs and they would have pencilled in a round 1 victory. Chris Judd's first game for his new club just adds more intrigue into a night that offers plenty of interest. I think the Tigers have every possible chance and I will be taking the $2.30 on them head to head. I will also take them with the plus handicap in what may be a very close game.

This is a pretty tough round. Geelong should beat Port. I just think the Cats are too strong. Port will be full of fire early but the Cats will keep coming all night. The nightmare of September will be in the back of the Port players mind's even though they claim they have put that behind them. The night could turn very ugly, very quickly, if they loose confidence.

The other game I like is the Western Bulldogs taking on the Adelaide Crows. I like the way the Bulldog's have approached this season and they are the hardest team to evaluate. They could be really really bad, or they could push for a reasonable finals birth. Adelaide is not that good and they certainly don't deserve to start this game as favourites.

After that it gets hard. Collingwood and Fremantle will be a cracker and too hard to pick. Essendon and North won't be nearly as good a game, but will also be hard to pick. The Hawks, St Kilda and West Coast should all win but the handicap appears to be right and I won't be taking the shorts in the first week of the season. The West Coast/Brisbane game should be fantastic and will tell us where these two teams are at.

Grab a pie and a beer, kick back and let the games begin.

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