The West Australian’s The Good, The Bad and The Ugly column returns for another season in 2026, with Jackson Barrett’s look at the big stories from the weekend of footy.
The Good – The Bulldogs’ bite
Ed Richards. Wow.
Western Bulldogs stunned two-time reigning premiers Brisbane on Saturday night, storming home in the last quarter-and-a-bit to win 16.15 (111) to 15.16 (106).
It was engineered by their club champion and All-Australian in a warning shot he is going to take his game to the next level again.
The Dogs kicked two late goals in the third term to trim the margin to 13 points. Then they kicked seven final-term majors to win a shootout at the Gabba.
Richards finished with 30 touches (24 of which were kicks), seven clearances and two goals. But he had nine disposals, eight kicks, four tackles and a goal in the last.
He ran the Lions off their feet, but what made the real difference is he freed Marcus Bontempelli to roll forward, where he marked and kicked a crucial goal of his own.
The Dogs have found some options in their midfield. Matthew Kennedy was great and Tom Liberatore hasn’t lost a step. All three of them attended more centre bounces than Bontempelli, who kicked three goals.
The Bad – Open it up
Opening Round has run its race, it’s time to swing the door open to the rest of the country.
The northern states are likely to have all four of their sides in the top-eight by the end of this season, if impressive first-up wins by three of them are anything to go by.
If you’re in Queensland — home to a team chasing a three-peat and the most exciting side in footy —you’re either into it, or you’re not.
And the discrepancy between teams coming in to round one cold and those who have had a run is becoming concerning.
I believe there is an opportunity to showcase the sport outside Victoria by playing just one showcase match at the MCG.
As West Coast chief executive Don Pyke said at the weekend, there is no reason the round can’t run from Wednesday to Monday.
So let’s give the league’s northern frontier the showpiece slots, WA and South Australia doesn’t need them, they’ll be ravenous for footy anyway.
The Swans could play a Wednesday night home game, the Lions host on Thursday night and the Giants on Friday.
Then the Gold Coast take on a big Victorian club in the first game on the Saturday to ensure the dew is dodged and we get the best product possible.
Then Adelaide Oval hosts a Saturday afternoon game and Perth gets the last game of the day. The time difference makes it a primetime slot in the east.
Then Adelaide and Perth also get games on the Sunday and footy returns in Melbourne on its Labour Day Monday, with a game that can make a splash after the Formula 1 rolls back out of town.
Call it Opening Round if you like, but what we’ve got at the moment leaves fans of eight clubs hanging. Let’s go all in.
The Ugly – No Blues clues
An under-pressure coach after the very first game of the season is normally a sure-fire sign had a decision to make and didn’t pull the trigger in the off-season.
Carlton had that decision to make, and after reportedly wetting a line in front of senior coaches, stuck with Michael Voss.
But the wild swing the Blues endured in their thumping Thursday night defeat to Sydney in Opening Round was a damning way to start.
The Swans, who had kicked two goals through the first half, poured in 12 in the third term — while the Blues kicked four — on their way to a 20.12 (132) to 10.9 (69) victory.
Once the game opened up after half-time they had no way of shutting down the ground and defending Sydney’s ball movement. They were dominated in second-half possession and had rings run around them.
Now the whole thing is really ugly.
The heat is already on Voss before another primetime game in front of their own fans.
They should surely have Richmond covered at the MCG on Thursday night and then they have the bye. After that, they face a born-again Melbourne side, also at the ‘G, then North at Marvel in round 4.
They’re the type of games where you either get the job done or things go really poorly. They don’t really have an opportunity to take a scalp and alleviate some pressure until they open Gather Round against the Crows in round five. Then they head west to take on the Dockers.
Carlton simply must be 3-1 after four games and even that is just keeping the wolves at bay.
Former captain Sam Docherty’s unfiltered (because he didn’t realise they were on the record) comments on the Dan Does Footy podcast speak to discontent among the players, given he only retired last year.
https://thewest.com.au/sport/afl/afls-opening-round-has-run-its-race-and-its-time-the-rest-of-the-country-get-a-slice-of-the-pie-c-21873134
