AFL SuperCoach live 2024: Winners and losers from season opener
Brodie Grundy has issued an ominous statement on the opening night of the season, while two cheapies confirmed their standing in SuperCoach. Relive all the action, see the scores.
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Sydney new recruit and SuperCoach lock Brodie Grundy starred in his battle with Max Gawn while Isaac Heeney and Jack Viney showed why they should be considered by all SuperCoaches.
Relive the action below.
FULL TIME: GRUNDY STARS IN SYDNEY WIN
Brodie Grundy has returned to his All-Australian form with a superb performance over former teammate Max Gawn.
After a quiet first half — where Gawn was comfortably the better of the two — Grundy flipped the script to outplay Gawn in the second half.
He finished with 138 SuperCoach points while Gawn recorded 71 — just seven more than he had after a strong first half.
Isaac Heeney also relished in his role going into the midfield, collecting 26 disposals, 13 clearances and 18 contested possessions on his way to a 143-point SuperCoach night.
SEE ALL THE SCORES IN THE MATCH CENTRE ABOVE
THE LEADERS:
Isaac Heeney, Sydney ($483,700): 143
Brodie Grundy, Sydney ($481,900): 138
Jack Viney, Melbourne ($559,600): 136
Tom Papley, Sydney ($405,400): 120
Chad Warner, Sydney ($560,900): 119
Nick Blakey, Sydney ($499,600): 118
Steven May, Melbourne ($468,900): 110
Christian Petracca, Melbourne ($667,600): 107
10:07: A TICK FOR OPENING ROUND
It will be a bitter pill to swallow for Victorians but the fans turned out in numbers for the season opener in Sydney.
40,012 walked through the gates of the SCG to watch the Swans take on the Dees.
Final crowd at the SCG: 40,012. #AFLSwansDeespic.twitter.com/FJZlEdsX7n
— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) March 7, 2024
10:00: THAT’S THE ALL-AUSTRALIAN WE KNOW
Brodie Grundy has produced a sizzling second half in his fascinating battle with Max Gawn.
With 10 minutes left in the final term, Grundy has an impressive 129 SuperCoach points while Gawn has fallen to 66.
9:56: VAN ROOYEN BOOTS AN ACCIDENTAL GOAL
It’s the leading contender for Goal of the Year.
Jacob Van Rooyen has kicked an accidental goal falling backwards in a marking contest.
As accidental as it was, it has kept the Demons within distance of the Swans.
HOW has Jacob van Rooyen done that?! #AFLSwansDeespic.twitter.com/ahdkEeV5Fw
— 7AFL (@7AFL) March 7, 2024
9:52: BOWEY TO TAKE NO FURTHER PART
Jake Bowey will take no further part in the game after his collision during the third term.
He went down to the rooms immediately after hurting his shoulder and will not return to the game.
9:50: HAYWARD LANDS A HAMMER BLOW
Will Hayward’s brilliant crumbing goal has the Swans 16 points up five minutes into the final term.
Hayward, who has kicked three majors, was the finisher but it started up the ground with Nick Blakey.
Blakey has had a terrific night bursting off half back and working his way up over 100 SuperCoach points.
9:36: TWO TONS TO 3QT
Isaac Heeney and Jack Viney are leading all comers to three-quarter time with 102 and 115 SuperCoach points respectively.
John Longmire said pre-game he was “conscious” of removing Heeney from the forwardline in the absence of Lance Franklin but trusted him to still hit the scoreboard from the middle.
He has kicked just one goal but has got his hands on the ball 21 times.
Viney, meanwhile, has been at his brilliant best with 25 disposals and two important goals to the final break.
THE LEADERS:
Jack Viney 115
Isaac Heeney 102
Brodie Grundy 91
Christian Petracca 88
Nick Blakey 88
Steven May 81
9:25: GRUNDY FIGHTS BACK
After being completely outplayed in the first half, Brodie Grundy has fought back strongly in the third quarter.
He went into the half down on Gawn significantly but a handful of clearances and contested possessions has him quickly among the top players in the game.
The Swans’ recruit has 88 points late in the third quarter while Gawn has slid to 63.
9:23: WICKS IN
Sydney has activated its sub with seven minutes left in the third quarter in place of forward Joel Amartey.
Amartey had gathered just three disposals before being removed from the game.
9:21: BOWEY GOES DOWN TO THE ROOMS
Jake Bowey has come off second best from a huge collision late in the third term.
He’s gone down to the rooms immediately needing treatment on his shoulder.
9:19: FRITSCH FIRES UP
Bayley Fritsch has lit up during the third term booting three goals in short time.
With 57 points, he looks on track to eclipse his break even of 71.
9:14: BILLINGS IN
Melbourne has subbed in Jack Billings for Bailey Laurie.
He has wasted no time in making an impact, collecting four SuperCoach points in his first contest.
9:13: MCLEAN MAKES HIS MARK
Hayden McLean has brushed off a horror start to the match to push Sydney ahead.
McLean wasn’t sighted in the first half, having -8 SuperCoach points at the main break.
His difficult night looked to be continuing when he missed a shot from point-blank range but he turned it around with a strong goal midway through the third.
9:01: PETRACCA STARTS TO HEAT UP
Christian Petracca has started the third-term strongly, setting up Bayley Fritsch for the first goal of the half.
He’s working towards another big SuperCoach score with 65 points in the early stages of the third quarter.
Sydney is historically Petracca’s worst opponent, averaging 82 against the Swans throughout his career.
8:39: OLIVER IS BUILDING
Clayton Oliver is building towards yet another 30-possession match with 16 at half time, but what will be enough for SuperCoaches to trust him?
Only 3.2 per cent of SuperCoaches took the risk on Oliver tonight and he is paying them back with 57 points at the main break.
Steven May, meanwhile, launched up the leaderboard with six intercept possessions in the second term alone.
THE LEADERS:
Jack Viney 75
Steven May 73
Max Gawn 64
Isaac Heeney 63
Dane Rampe 61
8:37: HOW LOW IS TOO LOW FOR JORDAN?
Sydney recruit has had a quiet opening half with just seven disposals in the dying stages of the first half.
He’s owned by 51 per cent of SuperCoaches but has just 34 points.
8:24: SLOW START FOR PREMIUM
After having over 40 disposals and two goals against Melbourne in last season’s final round, Errol Gulden is off to a slow start in tonight’s opener.
At the halfway point of the second term the star Swan has just 27 SuperCoach points.
He’s owned by 41 per cent of SuperCoaches.
8:15: STOCKS IN ROBERTS ARE RISING
Sydney debutant Matt Roberts is only owned by 21 per cent of SuperCoaches but that number will increase dramatically during the week with the rookie showing ominous early signs.
Roberts has surpassed his break even of 28 during the early stages of the second term with 35.
The 21 per cent of SuperCoaches that have him only paid $156,000.
8:02: GAWN LEADING GRUNDY AT FIRST CHANGE
Max Gawn is winning the well-documented battle with former teammate Brodie Grundy.
Gawn has 38 SuperCoach points at the first change while Grundy has just 13.
THE LEADERS:
Jack Viney 55
Tom Papley 38
Max Gawn 36
Oliver Florent 36
Isaac Heeney 35
Gawn is going 180 tonight #SuperCoach
— Tim Michell (@tim_michell) March 7, 2024
7:58: PAPLEY GOES BANG
Tom Papley got the first clearance of the game and has added to that strong start with a late-quarter goal.
He put the Swans two goals ahead with less than three minutes left in the first quarter of the season.
He has 38 points in the dying stages of the first term and is owned by just 0.8 per cent of SuperCoaches.
Tom Papley unloads from the centre square! pic.twitter.com/9gCr5wzulE
— AFL (@AFL) March 7, 2024
7:45: DEES HONOUR GUS
Melbourne paid a touching tribute to recently-retired premiership player Angus Brayshaw on their way out to the SCG.
Lead by captain Max Gawn, each of the Dees tapped Gus’ trademark helmet on the way out of the race.
What a beautiful tribute to Angus Brayshaw from the Dees â¤ï¸ðŸ’™#AFLSwansDeespic.twitter.com/CtgHRKbqHq
— AFL (@AFL) March 7, 2024
7:40 VINEY STARTS HOT
Jack Viney is off to a flying start in the season opener, finding a stack of the ball early and kicking Melbourne’s first goal.
The inside midfielder has 36 SuperCoach points just six minutes into the match.
He is owned by just 0.9 per cent of coaches.
7:30: CENTRE BOUNCE START FOR SALEM
As reported on earlier today by Sam Landsberger, SuperCoaches can expect Christian Salem to attend more centre bounces in the absence of Angus Brayshaw.
Salem took to the opening bounce in place of Clayton Oliver who started inside 50.
Salem is currently only listed as a defender and is owned by just 3.4 per cent of coaches.
7:21: THE SWANS’ TRIBUTE
Sydney players are donning black armbands to honour goal umpire Jesse Baird and his partner Luke Davies.
Both clubs will come together at 7:27 to pay tribute to the pair.
Baird was a popular and respected umpire while Davies was a lifelong Sydney Swans supporter.
7:02: GRUNDY IN DESPITE BITE
Sydney star recruit Brodie Grundy is still set to make his Swans debut despite being the target of a jellyfish pre-game.
He took to social media to show his bite after the unexpected setback before the Opening Round.
Grundy is in 54.3 per cent of SuperCoach sides.
6:53: MIDFIELD MINUTES FOR HEENEY?
Sydney coach John Longmire didn’t rule out more midfield minutes for Isaac Heeney as the Swans manage the early-season injuries to Luke Parker and Taylor Adams.
On the Fox Footy coverage pre-game, Longmire said the Swans were “conscious” of removing Heeney from the forwardline in the absence of Lance Franklin but trusted him to still hit the scoreboard from the middle.
Heeney is only owned by 2.8 per cent of SuperCoaches but that could change quickly if he ventures into the middle.
6:40: FINAL TEAMS
Simon Goodwin has forced 26.3 per cent SuperCoaches to wait a little longer by starting new recruit Jack Billings as Melbourne’s sub.
Billings’ role has been widely questioned by coaches over the summer and many have waited until the Opening Round before making a final decision.
On the flip side, it means nearly 40 per cent of SuperCoaches will get a quick look at rookie Caleb Windsor.
Sam Wicks is the Swans’ sub.
5:15pm: WHO WILL BE THE SUB?
For the first time this year teams will name five players on the interchange bench, of which one will start as the medical sub. We will find out who that is when clubs submit their final team sheets about an hour before the game.
Sydney’s bench is Braeden Campbell, Matt Roberts, Harry Cunningham, Sam Wicks and Robbie Fox.
Melbourne has named Caleb Windsor, Jack Billings, Bailey Laurie, Jake Bowie and Kade Chandler on the interchange.
SuperCoaches will be hoping rookie prospects Roberts, Windsor and Laurie, and forward line bargain Billings, all dodge the vest.
For more on this year’s best cheapies, check out the Rookie Bible.
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