It’s a unique game this Aussie rules caper. Almost as unique as the AFL’s caveat clad, ironic equality and inclusivity policy. Maybe next year we can play round one in Mumbai! Time to Restump Podcast the air gasping gut punch against Geelong. 

We’ve got mixed emotions about what unfolded on Saturday. There is no guarantee the situation with opening round dictated the result, but it was too conspicuous to not have had a substantial impact. However, result aside, reduce the possible advantage or disadvantage by simply abolishing the nonsensical round zero. 

After starting in sensational fashion, the Cats ate into some of our lead in the second term. But we had to expect it; I mean its Geelong we were up against… it’s not as if it was West Coast! But midway through the third quarter we hit the brick wall and there was no second wind. We stumbled onto the treadmills where we remained, unable to stop the combat-ready conditioned Cats from catching us. 

While the result was disappointing, what we delivered in the first quarter was the scintillating silver lining and the positive to take out of the day. Put some match fitness behind it and we should be in for a more than handy year. 

However, we didn’t necessarily do ourselves any favours as we likely compounded the opening round conditioning issues through selection. Knowing the challenges, you must ponder why we’d go in with an obviously underdone Sean Darcy and an Alex Pearce with a question mark where his halo usually is. Sean Darcy managed just 44% game time. Only three other players over the round, played less than 50% game time without injury reasoning. 

We’re not into consolation prizes but the loss wasn’t defining or season trend setting. It has that familiar feel of the ‘one that got away,’ yet it is far from a round one loss that has us saying, ”Oh here we go again.” There were contributing factors beyond our control, but we probably didn’t take care of the factors that were within it, and there lie the disappointment and frustration.   

2025 round one and 2026 round one, while both resulted in losses to the same team at the same venue, that is where the similarities end. On a post-match perspective and what it potentially means going forward, they couldn’t be further apart. 

How deep we can we dig into this game? How deep does this game need digging into? We don’t know! But put on your archaeological wide brimmed field hat, bundle up your trowel, shovel and brush and join us as we see what nuggets of nonsense we can unearth on the pod. 

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