The NAB Cup Continues

The AFL pre season games continue this weekend with the start of the Round 2 match ups. The weekend saw no real surprises. Port beat up an uninterested Sydney, Geelong were too strong for Adelaide and a third string Hawthorn found a way to win against a brave Melbourne. The result of most interest was the way Carlton blasted North away. Everyone is fairly certain Carlton are on the way up, but they certainly looked very sharp for the start of the season. The biggest worry would be for the Kangaroos that traditionally take the pre-season competition seriously whereas other clubs couldn't give a flying fig. North have had a few seasons of late where they have played well above their ability, it may be the year that it all falls apart. Let's hope so.
The most important game this weekend will be on Thursday night and will feature Ben Cousins return to football. Collingwood and the rest of the Richmond team will be there as well but make no mistake this is all about Cousins and not much else. Cousins is a freak of nature. His body appears to be in the same incredible state as it was in when he left the game and you would expect his hunger to be stronger than ever. The only problem is the attention he will attract both on and off the field. He just needs to get through a few games, let the football do the talking and the rest will take care of itself. It is a very smart move to play Cousins in this game. Richmond will want to at least win this game so that they can play Cousins again and let the hype run most of its course prior to round 1 of the season proper.
Geelong travels to Port which is always an interesting matchup after the 2007 Grand Final obliteration. This will be a good game and you might want to wait to see who Geelong puts on the park. Essendon host Brisbane in Melbourne which I am struggling to care about, but would lean to a Bombers outfit hungry for any success especially if Brown and Bradshaw aren't part of the Lions team. Sunday will see another great local derby with Hawthorn taking on Carlton. If Hawthorn plays the same rabble of a team they played against Melbourne they will lose by 50, but if they take it seriously this will be a very interesting matchup.

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