Not even the poorest of umpiring could derail the action in part one of the Sir Doug Nicholls Round, which lived up to a lot of the hype built around it. Call the round opener a typical Carlton win if you want, with a dominant second quarter preceding a palpitation-inducing second half, but they got the job done. Meanwhile, the Swans have dropped three of four, and the closeness of teams 2–11 on the ladder means they're in a dangerous spot given their recent form.
The Bulldogs have finally strung together consecutive wins, but the Suns lost no admirers in defeat — in fact, they may have gained some. Geelong outclassed Port Adelaide to end the Power's winning streak, before the rechristened Narrm Demons got over North in a game closer than its 47-point final margin suggests. Dreamtime at the 'G returned after three years, and two Riolis were part of Richmond's success, while Essendon are in even direr straits after their top defender copped a suspension for hitting the Yiooken Award winner; however, the Crows and Saints played the more compelling of the Saturday night games, and Adelaide may have been better as a team, but Max King and 200th-gamer Brad Hill were nigh unstoppable.
Sunday's action saw the McVeigh era begin for GWS with an all-hands-on-deck offensive onslaught against the Eagles, as well as a thrilling Hawks win over the Lions in Launceston, in which the victors got the job done in the fourth quarter. At the end of it all, a waterlogged Fremantle looked out of sorts, and Collingwood more than took advantage with a huge performance from their sub.
