WHAT HAPPENED IN ROUND TWO OF THE AFL
THEY SAID IT: "It does seem like a lifetime ago." It's actually 548 days for Luke Beveridge and the Western Bulldogs since their historic 2016 premiership, but their bad start to the season makes it feel a lot longer.
STATS THAT MATTER: Tom Lynch kicked a career-best eight goals against Carlton at Etihad Stadium, beating the seven goals he kicked against the same side in round four last year at the same venue. We can only speculate what this does to the bidding frenzy over the Gold Coast co-captain, who becomes a restricted free agent at the end of this season and may - or may not - want to return to his native Victoria.
MEN OF THE ROUND: Geelong's Big Three - Gary Ablett, Patrick Dangerfield and Joel Selwood - played together for the first time and lined up in the centre for the opening bounce of the Easter Monday blockbuster against Hawthorn. But Hawks midfielder Tom Mitchell upstaged them with another star turn, racking up a game-high 40 disposals.
KEY MOMENTS: Adding to the Hawthorn-Geelong folklore, the Cats stormed back from 25 points down early in the last quarter to draw level. But a behind to Hawks captain Jarryd Roughead with a minute left was the final margin. Sydney were only four points behind in the last quarter when they fell foul of the AFL's crackdown on the protected area. Port Adelaide's Jared Polec was awarded a crucial 50m penalty and he goalled to give them crucial breathing space on the way to a mighty 23-point win.
TALKING POINT: As St Kilda coach Alan Richardson noted, there are losses and then there are losses. The Saints were supposed to have Saturday off, but they were called in for a crisis meeting after their Good Friday shocker against North Melbourne.
TRIBUNAL WATCH: Richmond onballer Josh Caddy is out for one game on a striking charge. Gold Coast defender Jack Bowes is also likely to miss a game after he cannoned into Carlton's Jacob Weitering and was charged with rough conduct.
KEY INJURIES: Matt Crouch (Adel, hamstring) David Mackay (Adel, concussion) Jack Graham (Rich, leg soreness) Ben Cunnington (NM, hip) Billy Longer (StK groin) Matthew Kreuzer (Carl, groin), Shaun Burgoyne (Haw, hamstring), Tim Broomhead (Coll, broken leg) Darcy Moore (Coll, hamstring) Tom Scully (GWS, broken ankle) Ben Reid (Coll, hip) Toby Greene (GWS, hamstring) Adam Saad (Ess, knee) Jordan Roughead (WB, concussion)
WHAT'S NEXT: Sydney host GWS and there will be an added edge to their local rivalry, given these teams rightly have lofty aspirations this season. If St Kilda don't lift on Saturday night against Adelaide, then the spotlight on the Saints will shine that much brighter. Richmond v Hawthorn and West Coast at home against Geelong are other highlights, while the Bulldogs badly need a lift against Essendon.
