Welcome to the long, hot winter of the AFL season

STEVIE J magic, Jeremy Howe camping on shoulders and maybe premiership captain Trent Cotchin. Let the games begin.

IT’S been a subdued build-up.

Perhaps I miss the Carlton v Richmond blockbuster at the ‘G on a Thursday night, not so long ago the season pipe-opener in front of 80,000 crazy fans.

Perhaps it was 18 games in 18 days and then ... nothing.

Perhaps it’s the split round to start us off.

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Then again, perhaps we’re looking for something to pick at instead of welcoming with arms wide open the start of another glorious football season, when this town, this country, embarks on a enthralling six-month journey, when creaky hamstrings, dropped marks and missed goals become more important than ... well, everything.

There will be speckies, torps and impossible goals. There will be pies and chips and beers with mates. There will be cheers and fist-pumping and long coats in June. There is SuperCoach and hardball gets and you will be asked who is better — Pendlebury or Selwood.

And don’t you love the walk to the ’G?

Fremantle fans make the pilgrimage to the MCG for last year’s Grand Final. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

Umpires will get a roast, and so will Jack, and Buddy might turn back the years.

Can the Doggies make the finals? Can Gazza make it three Brownlows? And can Bomber salvage the Bombers?

Already, we can’t wait for Pies v Blues — or is that Bucks v Mick — on May 2, or the Cats v Hawks on Easter Monday, and Anzac Day we know will be a treat.

Will Vickery stand tall? Can the Hawks stay young? And let’s hope Brad Scott can eat pressure for breakfast.

Would love for Juddy to dominate, Nic Nat as well, and I can’t wait to see Jack Martin and Tom Boyd live up to the hype.

Talk about pressure.

Richo won’t know what hit him at St Kilda, Roosy needs to be God almighty, and Leon Cameron is in the hottest seat in town.

Out in the west, Ross Lyon is gunning for redemption and Adam Simpson is gunning for respect, while in the inner east, Clarko is gunning for legend status.

Three-time premiership coach has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?

Will they miss Buddy? Can Cyril handle a back flank? And you just know Hodgey will be there when the whips are cracking.

Jeremy Howe will be jumping on players’ heads again in 2014.

We’ve missed the little things, too.

Like Stevie Johnson talking smack, Jeremy Howe camping on shoulders, and watching Patrick Dangerfield being a wrecking ball one minute and beautifully finessed the next.

There are budding superstars such as Sloane, O’Meara and Gunston, and I have soft spot for Cotchin. He is the leader of the Tiger Army, and premiership captain also has a nice ring to it.

You have to wonder what Ryan Griffen’s thinking in his first year in charge — will he be nervous or will he assured? And we already know what Nathan Jones is thinking: Head down, bum up, fight, scrap, hunt and tackle.

We have 198 games to play and the first is Friday tonight at Etihad, where Collingwood plays Fremantle.

They play for four points, but it’s always more than that.

A loss and doubts become real. A win and already there are dreams of September.

There will be tears, and end of careers, and there will be a player who’ll walk away with the Norm Smith medal. Fancy that, being named the best player in a premiership team.

Of course, nobody knows who that will be and we have to wait 200 games to find out.

Between now and then, love your footy.