2025 AFL Round 2 Tips & Preview

The Blues find themselves back on primetime again this week where there will be no hiding against undefeated Hawthorn. 

Last week’s monumental upset loss to Richmond will go down as one of the biggest in the sport, but there’s no time to dwell on the past with Michael Voss needing to drum up a quick strategy to the Hawks’ sharp ball movement and quick ability to score.  

Sam Mitchell will be focusing on clearances this week after losing the battle in that department against Essendon last Friday night. But so long as the Hawks continue to find targets by foot and move the ball with precision, they’ll be a force right through to October. 

Charlie Curnow’s potential inclusion is huge for the Blues, but the fact Jack Gunston and Luke Breust are struggling to get a game with Hawthorn tells you how well they are going right now.  

Plenty has been made of Will Day and Nick Watson’s play over the last two weeks, but perhaps the most impressive part of the Hawks’ game right now is their ability to respond when faced with a challenge – a true sign of a proper flag contender.

Did the Pies do enough last week to make everyone forget about the Opening Round disaster against GWS? 

21 goals off 31 scoring shots against Port Adelaide last week suggests as much, not to mention Collingwood’s ability to force turnover – which was a direct result of the pressure they brought all game. 

Craig McRae’s side finished with 69 tackles in the blowout defeat, a worrying sign for Dogs fans after just scraping by against North Melbourne in Round 1. 

Glass half-full, the Dogs led from start to finish and, for once, appeared on the same page defensively. Glass half-empty, Luke Beveridge’s men were dominated over the first three quarters around the stoppages.  

At their best, Collingwood’s ball movement can be a thing of beauty, but so too can their ability to score off intercept marks. For a team like the Dogs, one that has struggled with handball chains and accuracy with the boot for the last few years, this might set up for a dominant Collingwood win. 

The Bombers came up 26 points to the red-hot Hawks last week, but there was still a bit to like about their effort at times.  

Brad Scott’s side won the clearance battle and arguably the second half, but poor accuracy in front of the sticks and the ability to stop Hawthorn from scoring off centre bounces cost them in the end. 

With no clear-cut forward target, attacking footy remains a work in progress at the Hangar, which can’t be said for the Crows – who handed in an encouraging 63-point home win to start the season. 

Matthew Nicks’ side hit the ground running with seven goals from nine scoring shots inside the first term, while Jordan Dawson also went a long way to securing all three Brownlow votes after racking up 27 touches, two goals, and four tackles.  

Of course, now the real test awaits Crom – can they win on the road? 

Adelaide managed only two wins away from home last year, but a fast start similar to last week, including some more dominance in front of the posts from the likes of Darcy Fogarty and the emerging Sid Draper, would see them hard to beat. 

A trip back to greet the home faithful might be just what the doctor ordered for Ken Hinkley’s men after suffering their biggest Round 1 defeat since 2000 at the hands of Collingwood last week.  

Full support of the crowd won’t be enough to get Port over the line however, unless Hinkley makes some drastic changes to his forward line like most are expecting with Jeremy Finlayson likely to head back to his rightful spot.  

From one groundbreaking result to another, Richmond presents a compelling case to start 2-0 after coming from behind to defeat Carlton as $11 outsiders in Round 1.  

The Tigers, led by excitement machine Seth Campbell and another tidy 30 disposal night from Tim Taranto, may not be the wooden spoon certainties that so many had them pencilled in as at the start of the season, but this still remains a challenging road trip to face a Port team that has won by multiple goals over their last three meetings. 

No one is ready to write the Power off after one bad game, but the pressure cooker is firmly on for Hinkley. Taking nothing away, I think last week’s Tigers win said more about Carlton than it did Richmond, and with a solid 6-3 record last year on the back of a loss, I think I’ll take Port to bounce back in a big way. 

The Cats are close to four-goal favourites on Saturday night, which comes as no surprise after pulling apart Fremantle last week at home. 

Geelong piled on 10 goals in the final term for a comfortable 78-point victory, largely due to Jeremy Cameron, but also the Cats’ ability to lay a whopping 23 tackles inside their own defensive 50.  

For St Kilda, this shapes as a serious ‘reset’ kind of week after falling behind early in Adelaide to the Crows. Ross Lyon’s side has come under fire for their lack of scoring in recent years, but more worrying was their inability to defend – an area that has long been a staple of his coaching tenure.  

It’s only one game, and the Saints have upset the Cats on a number of occasions over the last few years. But it just feels as though Geelong is purring at the right time with some fresh blood in the team a la Bailey Smith.  

Showcasing last week that they are just as dangerous inside the forward half with Tom Hawkins now retired, it’s hard to see the Saints keeping up with the Cats on the scoreboard for four quarters. 

The Lions will finally raise their 2024 Premiership flag on Sunday against embattled West Coast.  

Brisbane’s delayed start to the season got off to a hot start last week with a hard-fought win over the Swans, although the casualty ward is already full with Brandon Starcevich unlikely to play due to concussion, and both Kai Lohmann and Charlie Cameron still nursing respective ailments.  

Fortunately, the Lions have depth at their disposal up forward, which was on full display last week when Zac Bailey put four through the posts.  

West Coast, meanwhile, kicked off 2025 in miserable fashion with a disheartening 87-point loss to the Suns. Oscar Allen was the only real positive in an otherwise forgettable game as the Eagles fell behind early and managed only 34 inside 50 entries to Gold Coast’s 67. 

The Eagles’ rebuild is in full effect, but it’s blatantly clear they are still two or three years away from seriously competing. 

Richmond proved last week that $11 shots get up every now and then. But on a ground they haven’t won on since 2018, it’s hard to see history repeating itself here. 

This should be a cracking late Sunday afternoon contest between two sides coming off honourable losses last week. 

North tried their guts out in a 16-point defeat to the Doggies, highlighted by 30+ touches from Jy Simpkin and Harry Sheezl to go with some outstanding work around the stoppages. 

The Dees, on the other hand, were the better side in their heartbreaking three-point loss to the Giants. Melbourne had their hands all over the footy and outmarked the Giants 84-56, an encouraging sign on a wet day against a top flag contender. 

On the downside, though, Melbourne’s pressure was lacking at times and there were genuine concerns through the middle with Tom Green and Finn Callaghan both racking up over 30 touches each. 

North’s midfield doesn’t pose quite the same challenge, but with Caleb Daniel adding some punch at halfback, and Luke Parker registering four tackles in his club debut, there’s a case to be made for the Roos here if they can apply some pressure.  

 Possibly game of the round when you consider what’s at stake between these two sides.  

Fremantle have claims for the most disappointing start to the season after allowing 10 goals to the Cats in the fourth quarter on the way to a blowout 78-point defeat.  

Limiting turnover and finding targets inside 50 proved a challenge for Justin Longmuir’s side, while the Dockers also failed to match Geelong’s pressure when registering only 55 tackles all game. 

The Swans have been around the mark despite starting 0-2. They were competitive at home against the Hawks a fortnight ago, and there was no shame in taking the defending premiers right down to the wire last week.  

Dean Cox still has a job to do when it comes to getting the most out of his forward line, while some more consistent handball chains through the middle would go a long way to enhancing scoring chances. 

A trip to Perth is never easy, but it feels as though the Swans are close to putting it all together now.