What's the big question your AFL club must answer in Round 2? How can the Pies stem the avalanche of marks inside 50 in defence? Can the Dockers overcome three brutal injuries? What does Richmond do with Noah Balta?
We've looked at every club and answered their biggest question ahead of this week's action.
Adelaide
vs. Geelong, Adelaide Oval
Do we just discard last week's effort because of the conditions?
Gross, wet, slippery, and a disappointing loss to Gold Coast. Last week was a typical 'burn the tapes' game for the Crows, given they may not play in comaprable conditions again this season. Their last quarter was good against the Suns, and perhaps that needs to be the focus heading into this week's clash with Geelong. The Crows really need to bounce back if they're genuine about making the leap into September calculations.
Brisbane
BYE
Carlton
BYE
Collingwood
vs. St Kilda, MCG
Can they stem the flow of opposition marks inside 50?
The greatest concern for the Magpies through two weeks is the quantity of opposition marks they've allowed inside defensive 50. In Opening Round, GWS clunked 13 marks inside 50, while the Swans took 18 last week. You can't win games of football when you're allowing your opponent that many shots at goal. The Magpies need to pick up the defensive intensity and focus on locking down their opponents, as opposed to sagging off and looking for an opportunity to attack.
Essendon
vs. Sydney, SCG
Have the Bombers really turned the corner?
How real is this side in 2024? The Hawks let the Bombers off the hook last weekend with some inaccuracy and wastefulness, but credit to Essendon for putting the foot down when they needed to. What sort of side will the Bombers be this season? You feel Saturday night's game against the red hot Swans -- in Sydney, no less -- will offer some serious insight. Can't wait to find out.
Fremantle
vs. North Melbourne, Marvel Stadium
Can the Dockers cover more defensive injuries?
Fremantle stunned the Lions in Round 1 to justify Justin Longmuir's contract extension but it came at a serious cost with the injuries continuing to pile up. Reliable defender Brennan Cox suffered a hamstring injury and is expected to miss at least three months of action, Oscar McDonald will likely need knee surgery, while Karl Worner was subbed out with concussion and will have to miss this week's game. The Kangaroos are hardly an attacking beast but with Fremantle's defensive stocks so depleted, it could prove a tricky assignment.
Geelong
vs. Adelaide, Adelaide Oval
Who can support Patrick Dangerfield in the midfield?
It was a match winning performance from Patrick Dangerfield in Round 1, finishing with 25 disposals, eight clearances, nine inside 50s and kicking the winning goal as the Cats held off the plucky Saints. Max Holmes was also impressive in the win, but who else can step up in the midfield? If the Cats are to beat the better teams -- no disrespect to St Kilda -- they will need more production from the likes of Tanner Bruhn, Tom Atkins, and Mitch Duncan.
Gold Coast
vs. Western Bulldogs, Mars Stadium
Is the Gold Coast midfield on the shortlist for the league's best?
The Suns have been ultra impressive under Damien Hardwick to start the season, much of the success stemming from the talented midfield group. This week, they face their biggest test to date, a Bulldogs midfield led by Marcus Bontempelli and Tom Liberatore. For the Suns to win, they will rely heavily on Matt Rowell -- who might be leading the Brownlow Medal after two weeks -- as well as Noah Anderson, Touk Miller and Sam Flanders. And if they win, cue the 'Suns have the best midfield in the league' chat.
GWS
vs. West Coast, Optus Stadium
Will the real Toby Greene please stand up?
It's tricky to make a case the Eagles can worry the Giants this weekend, much less beat them. So the real question GWS fans will be wanting to have answered is where is Toby Greene? The Giants' skipper hasn't been poor to start the season but just one goal from two games is a little underwhelming given his extraordinarily high standards. With that said, would anyone be surprised if he put the Eagles to the sword this weekend? Absolutely not.
Hawthorn
vs. Melbourne, MCG
Can the Hawks play remotely well without James Sicily?
The answer to this question, up until now, has been no. The Hawks have struggled enormously without their defensive leader, lacking structure and organisation in the back half. Last year, Sicily missed four games -- all through suspension -- and Hawthorn lost all four by an average margin of 49 points. Sam Mitchell's side is already missing a number of key defensive players, so losing Sicily for a week would be a seismic blow.
Melbourne
vs. Hawthorn, MCG
Can Ben Brown lock down his spot and be the key forward the Dees desperately need?
As mentioned above, no James Sicily would only add to Hawthorn's defensive woes. It offers a golden opportunity for the inconsistent and at times frustrating Ben Brown to play a monster game and lock down his place in the Demons forward line. Brown kicked just 11 goals from his seven games in 2023 but returned last week and had an impact. He gives Melbourne a focal point in the forward line, which frees up the likes of Bayley Fritsch and Kysaiah Pickett. Looms as an important player in 2024.
North Melbourne
vs. Fremantle, Marvel Stadium
Can the Kangaroos stop Caleb Serong?
The most impressive performer of Round 1 had to be Caleb Serong. The young Freo midfielder amassed 46 disposals, 21 contested possessions, 10 clearances, and seven tackles as the Dockers upset the Lions in Perth. If North Melbourne is to get its first win of the season, it must find a way to slow Serong down. Who gets the job? Does Alastair Clarkson opt for a Luke Davies-Uniacke head-to-head match-up, look to the experience of Liam Shiels or something else completely?
Port Adelaide
vs. Richmond, MCG
Can the Power convert their opportunities?
It's tough to be critical of a 50-point win in Round 1 but Port Adelaide really should have won the game against West Coast by a lot more. Ken Hinkley's side kicked 16.24 (120) and were incredibly wasteful at times. The main culprits were Jeremy Finlayson (0.4), Todd Marshall (0.3), Miles Bergman (0.3), and Charlie Dixon (3.3). The Tigers are hardly world beaters, but Port will need to tidy this area of their game up if they're to travel to Melbourne and return with the four points.
Richmond
vs. Port Adelaide, MCG
Where does Noah Balta play?
The Tigers would love to have two of this man. He's proven to be able to play effective footy at both ends; against Carlton last week he kicked three goals, but also bobbed up in defence when needed. One horrific turnover aside (the shanked ball into the middle of the ground), he was one of Richmond's best. With him forward, the Tigers are a handful, combined with Tom Lynch, Dustin Martin, Shai Bolton also roaminfg inside 50. But, with Josh Gibcus now done for the season, he may be required at full back -- especially against a Port side which had 40 scoring shots last week.
St Kilda
vs. Collingwood, MCG
Will hosting the Magpies at the MCG pay off?
The coffers will be lined, there'll be 70,000 in attendance, but will selling their soul result in four points? It's always fraught with danger, playing a home game at your opponent's best venue, and the Saints are doing just that by 'hosting' the Pies at the 'G for Spud's Game. It's an intriguing move, and we're sure Saints fans would probably prefer this to be at Marvel Stadium.
Sydney
vs. Essendon, SCG
Can the Swans win the games they should win?
Two weeks ago you'd have said this clash was maybe 60-40 in Sydney's favour. Now, it feels closer to 90-10. It's not a shot at the Bombers, rather a reflection of how impressive the Swans have looked in the early part of the season, knocking off Melbourne and Collingwood. Based off what we've seen, John Longmire's side should be winning this game comfortably. If they slip up, we'll have to reassess ... again.
West Coast
vs. GWS, Optus Stadium
Will Harley Reid be better for the run?
It was great to see No. 1 draft pick and league sensation Harley Reid starting the first centre bounce of his career in the middle of the ground. Reid began well, picking up eight disposals and three contested possessions in the first quarter, but faded out of the game to finish with 16 disposals. It's a tough ask this week against an experienced and dominant Giants midfield, but Eagles fans will hope Reid can put four quarters together and show why he came into the league with so much hype surrounding him.
Western Bulldogs
vs. Gold Coast, Mars Stadium
When does Bevo pull the trigger on Naughton to defence?
The Bulldogs desperately need defensive help. They have a man who was touted as a generational backman sitting in their forward line doing nothing for half a game, and they have a 200cm forward who kicked five goals in a VFL praccy match over the weekend. Seems like a pretty easy choice, but Luke Beveridge has been staunchly against moving Aaron Naughton to the backline. Surely the time is nigh.