The first full round of the 2024 AFL season delivered in spades, with some clubs already facing serious questions and others celebrating a brilliant start to their campaigns.

Here are the biggest talking points from every game of round one.

1. A worrying injury among good signs for the Tigers

Given the circumstances, and given the weight of Opening Round loss, a five-point defeat to Carlton on Thursday night was far from a disaster for Richmond.

In fact, to be as close as they were for that long was a show of true character, something that will delight Adem Yze. Down so many soldiers — key soldiers at that — the Tigers would have been forgiven a final-quarter fade out, but right to the last Richmond forced the issue and could easily have snatched it.

But the loss of Josh Gibcus is a significant one for Richmond. His absence last year after such a bright debut season was a blow, and his return was pivotal to how the Tigers were going to set up in 2024.

Now Gibcus faces another year of rehab and the Tigers have to shuffle the pack. Plans to move Noah Balta up the ground may be shelved, and so much is back on the shoulders of Dylan Grimes and and Nick Vlastuin.

ABC player of the year votes:

3. Patrick Cripps (Blues)

2. Nic Newman (Blues)

1. Nick Vlastuin (Tigers)

2. The early trend not Collingwood’s friend

The Magpies have had a very stiff schedule for Opening Round and Round 1. However, there are some early trends that Craig McRae will want to turn around quickly.

The most pressing issue is Collingwood’s defence. It was one thing when GWS brought the Orange Tsunami (new and improved version) a week ago, and the Pies’ back six struggled to hold them back.

But the same scenario popped up on Friday night. When the pressure was on, and the Pies were forced into error time and again, and the post-Buddy Sydney side proved capable of making them pay. The ball was coming in at speed and the Swans were racking up the marks inside the arc at a frightening rate.

The number of times that Logan McDonald was out the back in space for a chip over the top was surprising to say the least.

The trio of Chad Warner, Errol Gulden and Isaac Heeney made life difficult for the home side — if the Swans can avoid pushing Heeney into the forward line for most of the season, it will make their midfield dangerous indeed.

ABC player of the year votes:

3. Isaac Heeney (Swans)

2. Chad Warner (Swans)

1. Errol Gulden (Swans)

3. Bombers find a new midfield mix

Brad Scott laid down the challenge to some young Bombers hoping to make a more permanent move to midfield this year. Against the Hawks, it was those players trusted with stepping up — their success or failure could decide the game.

Scott’s faith was justified. The clearance work of Archie Perkins, Sam Durham, Will Setterfield and even Elijah Tsatas when he came on as sub was mighty impressive, and in truth defined the game.

Essendon’s ability to score from stoppage was overwhelming for Hawthorn, and that’s where the Bombers won the game.

Led of course by Zach Merrett, the Bombers looked like they had at last found some reliable new pieces to their midfield puzzle.

ABC player of the year votes:

3. Archie Perkins (Bombers)

2. Zach Merrett (Bombers)

1. Jake Stringer (Bombers)

4. North new boys give a timely dose of hope

The Giants were too strong and classy for the Kangaroos in the end, as was always likely to be the case. In GWS, we are looking at a premiership favourite and clearly one of the benchmark sides in the league.

Which is why North fans should be so pleased with much of what the saw. There was an identity to the Roos — you can call it Northball if you want — and their ability to run the ball from defence and score will hurt teams this year.

Key to that was Colby McKercher, who made a fine debut, and Harry Sheezel, who picked up where he left off from his Rising Star winning rookie year. Add to that a few moments of genuine class from Zane Duursma, and few in blue and white will have left that game too unhappy.

ABC player of the year votes:

3. Jesse Hogan (Giants)

2. Tom Green (Giants)

1. Sam Taylor (Giants)

5. A new hero emerges for the Cats

Chris Scott called him a “complete player”. It’s hard to find praise much more effusive than that for a young player.

Ollie Dempsey was a gamebreaker for Geelong in a game that absolutely needed breaking. The Cats and Saints were tough to split for so much of the night, but Dempsey’s three goals were close enough to the deciding factor.

Scott also said that it looked like Dempsey “wanted the moment”, which is something you could say about plenty of those Cats on the night. Jeremy Cameron was one, with his sizzling boundary line goal in the first quarter.

And then there was Patrick Dangerfield who won the free kick and bombed home the goal to ice the game. There is big-game and big-moment experience in that Geelong team that you can’t fake. It could take them a long way in 2024.

ABC player of the year votes:

3. Patrick Dangerfield (Cats)

2. Jeremy Cameron (Cats)

1. Ollie Dempsey (Cats)

6. Matt Rowell is a certified freak of nature

Matt Rowell is doing some obscene things at the coalface this year, on track for numbers we’ve never seen before — if his body can put him up with the torment he’s putting it through.

Twenty — TWENTY! — contested possessions and 10 tackles is true sicko numbers for a midfielder. On a wet Gold Coast night this was a guy that loved the slop, ate up the slop like eats up the grass pre-game.

It was a game that called out for this sort of contested play, and for too much of it the Crows weren’t up for the fight. The resurgence came late, and was mighty impressive, but ultimately was for little.

But Rowell is must-watch TV every week at the moment. He’s doing some special things in that Suns midfield, and we all hope it is sustainable.

ABC player of the year votes:

3. Matt Rowell (Suns)

2. Noah Anderson (Suns)

1. Jordan Dawson (Crows)

7. Clarry’s big day out, and long road back

Clayton Oliver said the ovation he received in the fourth quarter of Melbourne’s win over the Bulldogs gave him goosebumps, and it was good to see the wide smile on his face.

Oliver also said that the way for him to repay his teammate’s faith and re-earn their trust isn’t through on-field performances, and that is true also. Because it should surprise nobody that Oliver has returned to AFL action and is playing this well.

The on-field brilliance is expected from him, and he was fantastic again as the Demons put in a much improved showing against the Dogs. If it was that easy, then he never would have found himself in trouble in the first place.

But the fact that Oliver publicly is recognising there is more to his journey than just good footy is so encouraging. With men like Max Gawn and Christian Petracca around him, he couldn’t have better help.

ABC player of the year votes:

3. Christian Petracca (Demons)

2. Clayton Oliver (Demons)

1. Max Gawn (Demons)

8. Port’s trade gamble might be about to pay off

It was a boring 2023 draft if you were a Port Adelaide fan. The Power had done all their recruiting a month earlier, shuffling off draft picks like Halloween lollies as they recruited for the now.

Those same fans will have no complaints if Ivan Soldo, Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and Esava Ratugolea play as well all year as they did against West Coast. All three made brilliant debuts and all three will be critical to Port taking the next step.

The Power did exactly as they were expected against the Eagles — accuracy in front of goal aside — and can now prepare to front up for the tougher challenges in the weeks ahead.

Oh, and speaking of the 2023 draft, Harley Reid’s West Coast debut was pretty damn fantastic. You can already mark him down for a top-five finish in their best and fairest this year.

ABC player of the year votes:

3. Connor Rozee (Power)

2. Esava Ratugolea (Power)

1. Kane Farrell (Power)

9. Injuries take the edge of a brilliant Freo night

Is the glass half full, or half empty? Is it partly cloudy or mostly sunny? Did Freo just record their most impressive since 2022 or are they in the midst of a potentially crippling run of injuries?

Everything the Dockers did after about the first 10 minutes against Brisbane was spectacular. They hunted the ball with ferocity, attacked the man with well-placed aggression and made the Lions look limp and lifeless.

Caleb Serong had it a million times, Jye Amiss and Josh Treacy look like the forward partnership for the next decade and even Nat Fyfe looked a bit like the Brownlow star of old.

But those injuries. Karl Worner, Oscar McDonald and Brennan Cox, all within the space of an hour. Adding to the names already missing, it’s a challenge the Dockers really don’t need this early in an important season.

ABC player of the year votes:

3. Caleb Serong (Dockers)

2. Jye Amiss (Dockers)

1. Luke Ryan (Dockers)