The scary reality behind Luke Beveridge’s third revolution as Western Bulldogs coach, and why St Kilda’s $1.6 million man has a golden ticket after last Sunday’s MCG “fail”.
Plus, more of the biggest talking points ahead of Round 2, as well as the commentators for every Fox Footy game, in Foxfooty.com.au’s ultimate weekly preview: The Blowtorch!
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AFL ROUND 2 (all times AEDT)
HAWTHORN v SYDNEY SWANS
Thursday March 19, 7.30pm at the MCG
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6.30pm on Channel 504, hosted by Sarah Jones, Jason Dunstall, David King and Leigh Montagna, with commentary from Matt Hill, Mark Howard, Jack Riewoldt, Brad Johnson, Eddie Betts and Jon Ralph.
ADELAIDE CROWS v WESTERN BULLDOGS
Friday March 20, 7.40pm at Adelaide Oval
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6.30pm on Channel 504, hosted by Garry Lyon, Jonathan Brown, Tom Hawkins and Jordan Lewis, with commentary from Anthony Hudson, Gerard Whateley, Jason Dunstall, Mark Ricciuto and Jon Ralph.
RICHMOND v GOLD COAST SUNS
Saturday March 21, 1.15pm at the MCG
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 12.30pm on Channel 504, with commentary from Dwayne Russell, Garry Lyon, Leigh Montagna and Sarah Jones.
GWS GIANTS v ST KILDA
Saturday March 21, 4.15pm at ENGIE Stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 4pm on Channel 504, with commentary from Anthony Hudson, Jason Dunstall, Brad Johnson and Ben Dixon.
FREMANTLE v MELBOURNE
Saturday March 21, 7.35pm at Optus Stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 7.15pm on Channel 504, hosted by Kath Loughnan, Jack Riewoldt, David King and Jay Clark, with commentary from Adam Papalia, Mark Howard, and Will Schofield.
PORT ADELAIDE v ESSENDON
Sunday March 22, 3.15pm at Adelaide Oval
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 2.30pm on Channel 504, with commentary from Matt Hill, Dwayne Russell, Mark Ricciuto, Ken Hinkley, Shaun Burgoyne, Kelli Underwood and David Zita.
PORT ADELAIDE v ESSENDON
Sunday March 22, 6.10pm at Optus Stadium
How to watch on Fox Footy: From 6pm on Channel 504, with commentary from Adam Papalia, Nick Dal Santo, Jordan Lewis, Kath Loughnan and David Zita.
SCARY REALITY BEHIND ‘BEVOLUTION’ 3.0… AND CULLS THAT COULD LEAD TO LANDING STAR RIVAL
Not for the first time under premiership coach Luke Beveridge, there’s a familiar feeling building in the west — the kind that feels ripped straight from the ‘Back to the Future’ playbook.
More free-flowing football off the back of the AFL’s most recent set of rule changes looks to have played perfectly into the hands of Beveridge, who, from a small sample size in 2026, looks to once again be ahead of his time.
From his handball-heavy innovation of 2016, which won them a drought-breaking flag, to the forward-half squeeze of 2021 that saw them fall only at the final hurdle, each rise has come after a deliberate reset.
Now, after another stretch of list turnover and bold calls on established names, the early signs point to a third chapter taking shape.
“It’s got all the makings of the third wave of ‘Bevo’ having a group of players — and a game plan — that he’s cultivated, he’s developed, and he’s worked with to be capable of challenging come September,” St Kilda great Leigh Montagna told Fox Footy’s First Crack last Sunday night.
“Of course, it’s still only early in the season, but from what I’ve seen so far, I think it’s got all the makings of what he’s been able to do in previous years.
“You think back to 2016 … within two seasons, he wins a premiership with that group; and doing it with a gameplan that was ahead of its time – the handball game ahead of everyone else.
“Then, he regenerates a list (with) only nine of those premiership players were there in 2021. He’s playing a game plan that is the modern footy at that time; the forward-half game.
“Since then, he’s spent the last five years — again — regenerating this list. He made some hard calls with some of the favourite sons. Caleb Daniel, Jack Macrae … to give himself a team and game plan that I think is ahead of the competition.”
In Opening Round and Round 1 respectively, the Bulldogs have put up scores of 111 against reigning premiers Brisbane, as well as 134 against perennial finalists GWS.
It’s been a fast start in more than just one sense for the red, white and blue, whose defence has also held up well so far in comparison to last year. They’ve managed to increase their defensive half intercepts by an average of 7.5 in 2026, aligning with a dip of 7.1 for intercepts in their forward half.
“The Western Bulldogs have been playing this style of footy for 12 to 18 months, and he copped some criticism for it. You have to admire Luke Beveridge, that he is a man that does it his own way. He’s prepared to take risks, to change, to have a crack at doing things that he thinks will work and experiment,” Montagna continued.
“But, when it all comes to together … it’s pretty dominating. This is a side at the moment that I think has those (premiership) capabilities.”
In recent years, their midfield depth has never been questioned, however in a big boost regardless, the club has long been considered the preferred landing spot of Port Adelaide superstar Zak Butters, who is a restricted free agent this season.
The Darley product is expected by many to depart Alberton at the end of his eighth AFL season, and has strong links to both the Kennel and Geelong. And at just 25 years of age, the superstar on-baller would be stepping into a premiership-ready side on the right side of ‘Father Time’, should be opt in at Whitten Oval.
“For me, this window is only starting to open now. People don’t realise that they only have 10 players on their list who have played 100 games or more. Only West Coast and Richmond have less,” Montagna ended by saying.
“On the weekend, he had 11 players in that team that have played 50 games of less. Again, only West Coast this round had more players who have played 50 games or less. It is a young team.
“The scary thing is, Zak Butters might be on the hook as well.”
Bevo silent on potential Butters meeting | 01:16
‘SNUCK UP ON PEOPLE’: UNSUNG SWANS GUN TO FILL STAR VOID
An unheralded Sydney ball-getter has been touted to step up and fill superstar Errol Gulden’s void.
Gulden is set to miss four months of footy after injuring his shoulder against Brisbane last Saturday, while reigning club champion Isaac Heeney won’t be risked against Hawthorn after sustaining a minor hamstring issue against the Lions.
But Gulden’s absence alone will have Swans fans dreading the way the club’s 2025 season was derailed by injury, with the dynamic left-footer struck down by an ankle injury this time last year.
The magnificent 23-year-old didn’t play until Round 15, after the injury-riddled Swans had lost eight of their first 12 games, en route to missing the finals after a grand final appearance the year prior.
Without Gulden and Heeney on Thursday night, Chad Warner is expected to play more midfield, while Dean Cox will place more trust in Angus Sheldrick and James Rowbottom between the arcs.
“I think the Swans get a great opportunity now to prove to people that they can win and not just rely on the big three that have carried them for so long,” Saints great Leigh Montagna said on Fox Footy’s First Crack Preview.
“I think it’s time for some of this supporting cast – some of the players that have now played enough footy – to shoulder the load, and make sure it doesn’t happen what happened last year, where their season was shot at the halfway mark, and they had to wait for Gulden to come back in.”
After all, when Gulden plays, the Swans win 67 per cent of the time. When Heeney plays, it’s 65 per cent.
But it’s a considerable discrepancy when they don’t play. Without Gulden, it’s just a 44 per cent win rate. No Heeney? It drops to a 40 per cent likelihood.
And if you’re after more evidence, in the past three years, only three times when Sydney has won have Gulden, Heeney or Chad Warner not found themselves in the top three in the coaches’ votes.
But promisingly, there’s hope this year that the Swans have enough coming through the ranks to cover for their two biggest stars – and one gun whose form has “snuck up on a few people”.
“The positive was, in the win last week against Brisbane, it wasn’t Gulden-Heeney-Warner – they had some other names step up,” Montagna continued.
“I’m looking at guys like Riley Bice, who’s played a bit of footy now, Matty Roberts, who’s stepping up, but in particular, a guy named Justin McInerney.
“Because they’ve got Mills and Papley, who are fit and healthy, and Blakey and some other guys still there, but Justin McInerney is the guy I want to put the pressure on now to continue this form, because it’s snuck up on a few people.”
Since Round 8 last year, McInerney has ranked inside the top-50 rated players in the game.
“This guy’s skill and ability to link and chain with the Swans is a big reason for their slingshot footy to start this year,” Montagna said.
“And why I think they can cover the loss of some of their superstars. Because this guy has led the team in score involvements in both games, and he’s been the number one player for ball use on the ground in both games.”
In Sydney’s season-opening win against Carlton, McInerney dazzled with 30 disposals and three goals – finishing as the second-highest rated player on the SCG.
Last Saturday, McInerney was the fourth-highest rated Swan with 23 disposals, two goals and seven score involvements.
“What he does – we’ve spoken about Jordan De Goey playing through that corridor line, being the link man they can always come back inboard to – Justin McInerney is playing that role, and it’s been a crucial one for the Swans,” Montagna said.
“So, can he continue to deliver when he doesn’t have the big names around him? Can some of the others step up? Because it is time the supporting cast carried the load without relying on the big three, and prove that they are a genuine top-four team this year.”
Two-time premiership winner David King wasn’t as optimistic that McInerney could make such a leap in prominence.
“To me, he (McInerney) is still a third banana. We very rarely see a third banana become a prime mover,” King said on Wednesday night.
“He gets a lot of ball off those guys. He’s working corridor, but Gulden and Heeney and Warner are getting to him. So, without those two, do you change his role?
“My worry is that the Dogs, Suns, Brisbane, Adelaide, Geelong, Fremantle and Sydney – there are eight teams squeezing into the top four. So, every time, you have unavailability … it becomes a significant separating factor.
“I think this will be too strong for Sydney to recover from.”
Opening round criticism continues | 02:58
‘VERY, VERY DIFFERENT’: HAWKS’ BALL USE CHANGES REVEALED
You might not have picked up on it just yet, but Hawthorn has implemented a “very different” style of ball movement to what we observed last year.
From ‘set positions’ – when a player has taken a mark or been granted a free kick – the Hawks are doing things in a starkly changed fashion over the first two weeks of the new season.
Instead of a longer-kicking, changing-angles style of play last year that culminated in the league’s 11th-best attack, Sam Mitchell’s Hawks have become a shorter-kicking, straighter side.
“From what we’ve seen so far, they have changed, and changed significantly from set-position plays,” Champion Data guru Daniel Hoyne began on Fox Footy’s First Crack Preview.
“Last year, Hawthorn’s speed from set position was at AFL average. How they did it? They held on to the footy at AFL average level, but then they wanted to go long and aggressive to goal.
“So, that’s long, and change of angles – get the ball from one side of the ground to the other as quickly as you possibly can. And that worked at the back end of 2024, and it worked to a certain extent last year.
“But offensively last year, they were bottom eight or nine in the competition, so something needed to change for the Hawks.”
The below graphic from First Crack exhibits the Hawks’ year-on-year speed of ball movement shifts. For context, for every component, the AFL average is 100.
“What we have seen so far from set-position play, that speed at 160 – that’s the sixth-quickest speed we’ve seen over a two-game period over eight years,” Hoyne declared.
“But I want to highlight that time number. That time number at 193 – eight years, speed of ball movement has been going for; that’s the third-quickest that we’ve seen a team get it in their hand and then out.
“They want to get the ball moving Brisbane-style. Think of Brisbane, when they get the ball in their hands, and they get on with it.”
Hoyne compared two pieces of vision – one from Round 24 versus Brisbane last year, and one from Round 1 this season against the Bombers.
The clip from last year highlighted the Hawks’ desire to go long and wide when exiting defence, as opposed to last Friday night, where Hawthorn aimed to go short, straight and quick.
“It is very, very different to what we saw in 2025,” Hoyne said.
“Offensively last year, (the Hawks were) the 11th-best offensive profile in the comp. We know where 2026 footy is going, that’s not going to stack up, something needed to change, and it looks like Sam Mitchell and the Hawks are implementing something new for 2026.”
‘BROKEN’ TDK’S GOLDEN TICKET AFTER GLARING ‘FAIL’
There’s no way around it: Tom De Koning failed his first major test as St Kilda’s ruck juggernaut.
Joining the Moorabbin-based club on $1.6 million per season, the Saints believed they’d gotten their hands on not only their ruckman of the future at age 26, but the best emerging tapster in the game.
Yet, in the ultimate litmus test against the incumbent best in the sport, De Koning fell glaringly short – though not for a lack of trying.
After challenging future Hall of Famer Max Gawn early in the contest – via a combination of athleticism and Ross Lyon tactical nous – De Koning simply couldn’t go with his decorated counterpart.
“He (Gawn) took a 26-year-old to the deep end, physically, and he (De Koning) failed,” King said on Fox Footy’s First Crack.
“This is a $1.6 million signing. Now, it’s not always about money, but they got this guy to this club to help them win games.
“So, when Max Gawn’s doing this at 34, I’d say: ‘Is this guy (De Koning) the man? Is this guy you’ve gone to purchase, the guy?’ … I think mentally (on Sunday) he destroyed him.”
Gawn barely rested throughout the match, despite De Koning’s repeated attempts to drag the Demons skipper up the ground in order to leave Melbourne’s defence vulnerable.
But the 34-year-old veteran battled and progressively outworked De Koning – who was left with his hands on his knees on more than one occasion – to finish with 22 disposals, eight score involvements, five clearances and a goal.
“(Gawn) took him to the cleaners … he played 120 minutes as a ruckman,” King continued.
“He couldn’t go with him; he broke him. Regardless of how many rests and breaks De Koning had, he created all sorts of trauma. Then, it got physical.
“(Gawn) was beaten in the first quarter; TDK had his way. Tactically, the Saints used the ball short of Max a few times, and then he just took control of the game.”
While Gawn was on-field for 74 of the last 78 minutes last Sunday afternoon, the Saints’ big man was left out of breath and needing a spell.
The Herald Sun’s Jay Clark revealed on Monday that De Koning was battling illness in the lead-up to Round 1, in doubt until one hour before the start of the game.
“I think St Kilda will be entitled to speak to ‘TDK’ about that, and say: ‘What happened? How come you have to come off for a six-minute break, and this guy doesn’t?” King questioned.
“That can be an athletic thing, I get that, but Max’s application to his physical preparation is first-class. And I just watched TDK … he didn’t look the same.
“He didn’t look like he was at the absolute finite end of his physical preparation … that’s the level, that’s the challenge now.”
And De Koning has a golden chance to rebound strongly in what’s already a crucially important game for his Saints.
St Kilda, facing the dreaded 0-3 hole after a winless fortnight to start the season, travels to Sydney to play the Giants and Kieren Briggs.
Briggs was the Giants’ third-lowest rated player in the side’s 81-point loss to the Bulldogs last Saturday, while opponent Tim English was the fifth-highest rated player on Marvel Stadium.
If there was a week to feel a whole lot better about himself – literally and figuratively – it’s this one, especially with De Koning’s team in desperate need of a lift.
Money vs Reality: Simmo defends Nas | 02:42
‘TO THE PROMISED LAND’: WHY FREO’S LOSS WAS STILL A BIG WIN
Fremantle has, for a while now, threatened to take the competition by storm. And if their opening quarter of the 2026 home-and-away season is anything to go by, this might finally be the year they go from good to great.
While their 52-point first term ultimately wasn’t enough to down Geelong in a Kardinia Park shootout last Saturday evening, the signs were there for them to take that next step under Justin Longmuir, says two-time North Melbourne premiership player David King.
“I thought Fremantle’s first 40 minutes were terrific,” King began on Fox Footy’s First Crack.
“I just think they’ve got to bottle this, and say: ‘We can compete, and we’ve got a forward line that really could be the best in the competition. I was surprised with how effective they were.’”
The Dockers went inside their forward 50 16 times before the first break, and scored from 75 per cent of those entries to kick 8.4 (52) — their highest-ever score outside of Western Australia in a first quarter.
At the 25-minute mark of the second term, Freo’s lead stretched out to a game-high 35 points as victory, with their ball movement and use of the middle of the ground particularly eye-catching.
“Some of their ball use was just delightful. It was precision, it gave their forwards the best opportunity … their corridor run, their ability to play with a bit of dare — it just looked quicker,” King continued.
“I know we’ve bashed Justin over the past 12 months, but it just enables options when you step forward of centre … they put the Geelong back six to the sword instantly.
“They’re maybe going to lose more than they win on the road, but if they play like this, they’ll win every one at home. I wouldn’t be going back into their shell and playing safer footy once they’ve got a lead, this will take them to the promised land.”
The Dockers host Melbourne this Saturday night at Optus Stadium, with the match’s coverage live and exclusive on Fox Footy’s Channel 504 from 7:15pm AEDT.
Longmuir’s side has won four of their last six games against the Demons, but lost their most recent encounter in Round 6 last year.
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