After the success of the Opening Round last week the 'real' AFL season begins this week with Round One. The round kicks off with the classic opening of Carlton vs Richmond in the MCG.
With a full set of fixtures this week we are going to focus on those games with an Irish & GAA involvement.
Essendon v Hawthorn, MCG
Saturday, March 16, 1.45pm
Irish Involvement: Hawthorn have named Conor Nash in the midfield where he shone last season, averaging 24 disposals and 5 tackles per game. Expect Nash to be heavily involved around centre bounces in what is a maturing Hawks team.
Neither Essendon or Hawthorn made the finals series in 2023 but both teams will be hoping for an improvement in 2024. Essendon had a successful off-season landing star key defender Ben McKay while also adding depth through veteran ruckman Todd Goldstein and midfielders Gresham and Duursma. Hawthorn are still in the midst of a rebuild and they will need another couple of years to complete that journey however the addition of 2023 Premiership winning forward Jack Ginnivan should add some excitement for Hawks fans.
Prediction: Essendon Bombers
GWS v North Melbourne, Engie Stadium
Saturday, March 16, 4.35pm
Irish Involvement: GWS's Callum Brown and North Melbourne's Aidan Corr could spend a lot of time together on Saturday with Brown playing as a deep forward and Corr as a key defender. Brown was exceptional last week against Collingwood, kicking 5 goals against the 2023 premiers.
GWS are coming off a spectacular win against Collingwood last week and many commentators are expecting them to have a long finals run this year. North Melbourne have been rebuilding for years and despite having a team stacked with early draft picks they will likely spend another year in the bottom quarter of the table.
Prediction: GWS Giants
Geelong v St Kilda, GHBA Stadium
Saturday, March 16, 7.30pm AEST
Irish Involvement: Mark O'Connor and Zach Tuohy have been named in the Geelong 22 while Oisín Mullin has been included within the emergencies meaning he could be called into the 22 if an injury occurs prior to the game.
This will be an interesting contest, Geelong are certainly on a downward trajectory but are difficult to beat in 'The Cattery' and still have (aging) superstars in their ranks including Paddy Dangerfield and Tom Hawkins. St Kilda made the top 8 in 2023 and on paper have a better team and a strong chance to win at this venue for the first time since 1998.
Prediction: St Kilda
Gold Coast v Adelaide, People First Stadium
Saturday March 16, 8.10pm AEDT
Irish Involvement: Adelaide Crows has named Mark Keane as an emergency and like Mullin will only play a part if another player has to pull out before the game. An incident between Keane and Port Adelaide's Sam Powell-Pepper was perhaps the biggest AFL story in pre-season. A horrific tackle by Powell-Pepper on Keane was deemed careless, high and severe and he has since received a 4 week ban while Keane was immediately substituted through concussion protocols.
Gold Coast are coming off a tremendous win against Richmond last week and will be hoping to continue on a high against the Adelaide Crows. Gold Coast have never made the finals series in their history and they will be hoping this year will be the first. Adelaide are expected to be around the middle of the table in 2024 and could sneak into the top 8 if they are lucky.
Prediction: Gold Coast Suns
Fremantle v Brisbane, Optus Stadium
Sunday March 17, 6.50pm
Irish Involvement: Conor McKenna missed his first game for Brisbane last week following a minor injury in pre-season and given Keidean Coleman ACL injury in the opening round Brisbane fans will be very happy to see McKenna back to fill that void.
After last weeks one point loss to Carlton, the Brisbane Lions will need to bounce back against the Dockers in WA. Brisbane are widely tipped as Premiership contenders this year so being 0-2 after their first two games would be unthinkable. Despite a poor 2023 campaign Fremantle have a youthful and improving side while two-time Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe looks set to start.
Prediction: Brisbane Lions
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