Super Saturdays are back for 2025. It’s the official AFL round one, even though the season began last weekend. Today Geelong clash with Fremantle, there’s a grand final re-match in Sydney and tonight in Melbourne, the Bulldogs clash with the Kangaroos and Collingwood host Port Adelaide.
Super Saturdays are back for 2025. It’s the official AFL round one, even though the season began last weekend. Today Geelong clash with Fremantle, there’s a grand final re-match in Sydney and tonight in Melbourne, the Bulldogs clash with the Kangaroos and Collingwood host Port Adelaide.
Geelong opened the floodgates in the home stretch to swamp the Dockers.
They booted 10 goals to one in the final term to run out 78-point winners. Bailey Smith was close to best on ground in his first game for the hoops, collecting 19 kicks and 13 handballs.
As the Cats midfield regained their ascendancy in the final term to snuff out Fremantle’s third-quarter resurgence, their forwards had a field day.
The Dockers had closed the lead to 21 points at three-quarter time and looked a chance to cause a boilover. But just as they had been missing in the first half, they lost their way again.
The Cats had 13 different goalkickers, but it was no surprise that Jeremy Cameron topped that list with four, while Tyson Stengle booted three.
One bright light for the Dockers was the debut of forward Murphy Reid who had a red-hot patch in the third quarter, booting four goals in seven minutes.
Final score: Geelong 23.9 (147) d Fremantle 10.9 (69)
Cats recruit Bailey Smith has not forgotten how to play football, but has he learned the words to Geelong’s theme song?
Smith dominated in his first game for the blue-and-white hoops with 32 disposals and 700m gained.
Amazing, considering he has not played for 19 months following an ACL injury.
And didn’t the Cats fans and Cats players love it. Check out their post-match celebrations below. If he didn’t know the words, at least he pretended to mouth them. Well played, Bailey.
That was a dominant first term by Sydney.
Maybe it’s (former) Cyclone Alfred coming back to bite the Brisbane Lions because they look a bit rusty, and the Swans much sharper – perhaps the benefit of having had a game against Hawthorn last week to blow out their own cobwebs while the Lions battened down the hatches.
Almost all the play took place in Sydney’s front half, and they could be at least two more goals in front after bad misses from Tom McCartin and Will Hayward in the opening minutes.
McCartin, though, has been presenting well in his new role as a key forward, and took three marks within the first six minutes.
Corey Warner has two goals, both coming after 50-metre penalties given away by the Lions, so their ill-discipline has exacerbated this situation. And then, of course, they lost Kai Lohmann to an unidentified injury and Logan Morris temporarily left the field after a head knock, which has led to an earlier-than-expected taste of the action for Levi Ashcroft. Who, unsurprisingly, looks decent.
Brisbane only started to attack properly in the final stretch of the quarter, so maybe it took them 25 minutes or so to blow out their cobwebs, and that there’s better stuff to come from the reigning premiers.
Sydney 4.0 (24) lead Brisbane 1.3 (9)
The Swans have put last year’s grand final shocker behind them by jumping to an early lead against the Lions at the SCG.
Corey Warner booted two first-term goals as Sydney set the early pace.
But the story so far has been injury woes for the Lions. They lost Kai Lohmann with an ankle injury early in the first term, replaced by sub Conor McKenna. Teammate Logan Morris had to undergo a concussion test after clashing heads with teammate Zac Bailey. He was cleared to keep playing.
Before the game they lost Charlie Cameron with a calf issue.
One bright light has been the first game of father-son draftee Levi Ashcroft, younger brother of Will. He has had five disposals to date – three kicks and two handballs.
Sydney 4.0 (24) lead Brisbane 1.3 (9)
And now they’ve got another one down: play has been temporarily stopped at the SCG while Lion Logan Morris leaves the field for a concussion check.
He copped a bit of friendly fire in a head clash with Zac Bailey in Brisbane’s forward 50.
He’s walking off the ground on his own volition, with some blood on his face. HIA incoming, you’d suspect. Carnage for the Lions at the moment.
It looks like Lohmann is also heading down to the sheds. He has his left boot off and in his hands and might be subbed out with an ankle injury.
That doesn’t look good for Brisbane. He was, of course, a bit brilliant against the Swans in the grand final.
On top of that, the Lions lost Charlie Cameron before the game.
Sydney 3.0 (18) lead Brisbane 0.1 (1) with eight minutes remaining in first term.
Strong start by the Swans with the first two goals – although they did kick the first two in the grand final last year.
The Lions might be one down already though: Kai Lohmann has just limped off with some sort of lower leg injury.
Sydney 2. (12) lead Brisbane 0.1 (1)
A clever bit of forward line roving has seen Swan Braeden Campbell snap the first goal of the game against the Lions.
It has been an early arm wrestle at the SCG as both sides feel their way.
Of interest is that Lions first gamer Levi Ashcroft has entered the field of play and had his first possession.
Geelong opened the floodgates in the home stretch to swamp the Dockers.
They booted 10 goals to one in the final term to run out 78-point winners. Bailey Smith was close to best on ground in his first game for the hoops, collecting 19 kicks and 13 handballs.
As the Cats midfield regained their ascendancy in the final term to snuff out Fremantle’s third-quarter resurgence, their forwards had a field day.
The Dockers had closed the lead to 21 points at three-quarter time and looked a chance to cause a boilover. But just as they had been missing in the first half, they lost their way again.
The Cats had 13 different goalkickers, but it was no surprise that Jeremy Cameron topped that list with four, while Tyson Stengle booted three.
One bright light for the Dockers was the debut of forward Murphy Reid who had a red-hot patch in the third quarter, booting four goals in seven minutes.
Final score: Geelong 23.9 (147) d Fremantle 10.9 (69)
Boom recruit Bailey Smith has booted his first goal in the blue-and-white hoops.
During his near best-on-ground performance, Smith copped a shove in the back inside the forward 50m during the last term and slotted home a 40m drop punt.
The Cats players swamped the blonde star after the goal to offer their congratulations.
It has been 19 months since his last game, but you wouldn’t know it. He has picked up 19 kicks and 13 handballs.
Another star for the Cats has been Sam De Koning who has played most of the game in the ruck. He has also booted a fourth-quarter goal.
This has become a thrashing.
Geelong 20.9 (129) lead Fremantle 10.9 (69) with three minutes remaining.
Jeremy Cameron has booted the 650th goal of his illustrious career.
The biggest shock was that he did it on his right boot.
The major at GMHBA put the Cats 41 points in front.
Geelong 17.8 (110) lead Fremantle 10.9 (69)
A nice bit of symmetry.
Retired Cat Tom Hawkins commentating for Fox Footy while his replacement in the Geelong forward line, Shannon Neale, marks and goals for his first.
“He would have done that 100 times, maybe more, over the pre-season,” Hawkins said of the Neale lead and subsequent kick.
He sounded like a proud dad.
The Cats are home. They have now kicked three goals to open the final term, and they lead by 34 points. Tyson Stengle has three for the game.
The Dockers’ brave third-quarter comeback has been snuffed out.