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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The 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.