One of the difficult things about assessing teams early in the season
is knowing when to forget about your expectations and trust your eyes.
Round 2 is too soon to throw all of the preseason work out the window,
but there were still things to learn from Round 1.

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Swans got outmuscled by the Dogs for a half until Luke Parker flexed
his and got his team back in the game. Too much is left to too few in
the Sydney midfield, with Parker and Josh Kennedy carrying an unhealthy
load.Jake Lloyd is a fine player and was among their best in
Round 1, but does most of his work on the outside and behind centre – as
he should.The two names commonly linked as the leaders of the Sydney midfield’s Generation Next are Isaac Heeney and Callum Mills.John
Longmire has been reluctant to move Mills from the backline. In his 56
games he has just 35 clearances. A midfield shift appears unlikely.Heeney
presents a greater conundrum. Lance Franklin looked well off the pace
against the Bulldogs, leaving Heeney as the Swans’ most dangerous
forward.With Geelong recruit Dan Menzel out of action for a good
while yet, we should expect Heeney to continue to spend at least as
much time forward as he does in the middle.It leaves Sydney
uncharacteristically thin around the ball, an area the Crows will expect
to exploit with Rory Sloane, Bryce Gibbs and the Brothers Crouch.Much
like it’s strange for the Swans to have questions over their midfield,
the biggest concerns on the Crows coming out of Round 1 are on their
forward line.Josh Jenkins was a non-factor and Taylor Walker
looked rigid and robotic. At his best, Tex hits the ball hard on the
lead and then equally hard with one of the best boots in modern footy.At his worst, he can’t get separation and can’t impact when the ball hits the deck. It’s been a while since we saw his best.Perhaps
the Crows were worked out by a mastermind coach who had weeks to
concoct a plan that would negate their spread, or perhaps Father Time
has come for them.The last time these sides met was in Round 5
last seasons and like tonight, the game was played at the SCG. Despite
being without Eddie Betts, Sloane and the Crouches, Adelaide pulled off
an ten-point upset win.Rory Laird grabbed the three Brownlow
votes thanks to 30 disposals, five rebound-50s and five inside-50s. The
third Rory – Atkins – had 24 touches and three goals, and Walker was the
game’s high goalscorer with four.Jarrad McVeigh was among the
Swans’ best in a losing side with 26 touches and seven inside-50s. The
33-year-old remains one of his team’s most important players. He’s never
had a lot of pace and has even less of it now, but he’s poised with
ball in hand and one of the competition’s best kicks.Kennedy and Parker combined for just 30 touches last time these teams met. That won’t get it done tonight.Both
sides have made a couple of changes. The Swans bring in Ben Ronke, who
will give his side a handy goalkicking threat as well as important
tackling pressure, and Irish fourth-gamer Colin O’Riordan.They
come in at the expense of the omitted Jordan Dawson and the injured
Heath Grundy, who would have been fortunate to keep his spot if healthy
after a stinker in Round 1.The Crows made a pair of forced
changes. Interceptor Tom Doedee is done for the year with an ACL injury
and veteran ball-winner Richard Douglas is out for more than a month
with a serious ankle injury.Paul Seedsman comes in to provide some dash and Kyle Hartigan as a defensive pillar.Just
how they try to replace Doedee’s intercepting – which replaced Jake
Lever’s intercepting – will be interesting. Alex Keath could be freed up
by Hartigan’s inclusion, or perhaps they could turn to a smaller player
such as Laird or even Gibbs, who has shown in the past he’s more than
capable in the defensive third and would add another damaging ball user
out of defence.Last week showed what a futile exercise tipping
winners can be, but I’m not yet ready to write off the Crows despite a
poor first-up effort.I think Adelaide will get up by a couple of goals.That’s my Friday night forecast. What’s yours?