Richmond v Carlton: AFL 2021 season opener – live!
Richmond #Richmond
4.05am EDT 04:05
Surely this tweet survives until next year, right? Apart from changing eight to nine.
3.54am EDT 03:54
One thing missing from tonight’s season-opener is the voice of Bruce McAvaney. One of the most respected commentators in Australian history has called it time, following longtime calling partner Dennis Cometti in retirement.
Footy viewers are much poorer for both absences. There could be a lot of matches watched on mute this year.
3.49am EDT 03:49
A bit more on the crowd situation. Capacity at the MCG remains at 50%, despite a late push to raise it to 75%. That figures is the Chief Health Officer’s call.
The G will have a COVID-safe plan in place with the venue sectioned into five zones. The first row of seating on level one is unsold to guarantee physical distancing between fans and players.
3.48am EDT 03:48
And if you want to know why this season of breathlessly hyped football will be better than the last, Scott Heinrich has your back.
It’s a softly, softly approach, but you’ve got to start somewhere. Fifty-thousand supporters will be at the MCG for the season opener between Richmond and Carlton, half that will be allowed at Marvel Stadium and fans will get through the turnstiles into GMHBA Stadium. The return of footy to Victoria, where most AFL games are played, is a fantastic thing made even better by the allowance of crowds. Man cannot live on cardboard fans and canned applause alone. There is no substitute for the real thing. One thing 2020 showed us is that supporters are an integral part of the live experience. They are welcomed back with open arms.
3.46am EDT 03:46
Football’s back. All of it. Every kick mattering to somebody somewhere.
I know he’s jabbering about association football, give me a break.
3.40am EDT 03:40
Carlton 22 (+1)
Carlton are missing a midfield champion of their own in Jack Martin (calf), while star recruit Zac Williams misses out through suspension. Eddie Betts has not been risked as he continues his recovery from a calf injury.
In better news, Harry McKay, Levi Casboult, and Jack Newnes have all been passed fit following tests, while Adam Saad and Lachie Fogarty will debut following offseason trades.
Former Demon, Oscar McDonald, is Carlton’s first medical substitute.
B: L.Plowman, L.Jones, T.WilliamsonHB: S.Docherty, J.Weitering, A.SaadC: W.Setterfield, P.Cripps, M.MurphyHF: L.Fogarty, H.McKay, J.NewnesF: Z.Fisher, J.Silvagni, M.GibbonsFOLL: M.Pittonet, P.Dow, S.WalshI/C: S.Petrevski-Seton, L.O’Brien, L.Casboult, E.CurnowSub: O.McDonald
3.38am EDT 03:38
Richmond 22 (+1)
The headline news from Punt Road is that Richmond captain Trent Cotchin has officially been ruled out of tonight’s contest with gastro. Cotchin missed yesterday’s captain’s run and he has subsequently been deemed unfit to play.
Cotchin and Bachar Houli (calf) are the only members of Richmond’s grand final winning 22 to miss out tonight through injury. While Josh Caddy and Jake Aarts are the only two to be selected tonight that were not involved at the Gabba.
Jack Ross has the honour of being Richmond’s first medical sub.
B: D.Astbury, D.Grimes, N.BaltaHB: L.Baker, N.Vlastuin, J.ShortC: D.Prestia, M.Pickett, K.LambertHF: J.Aarts, S.Bolton, J.CastagnaF: T.Lynch, D.Martin, J.RiewoldtFOLL: T.Nankervis, K.McIntosh, J.CaddyI/C: D.Rioli, N.Broad, J.Graham, S.EdwardsSub: J.Ross
Jack Ross is Richmond’s first medical substitute . Photograph: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images
3.32am EDT 03:32
Well, scoring should be up with the return to standard quarter lengths and rule tweaks, but even so…
3.19am EDT 03:19
I’ve not seen Making Their Mark yet, but it seems to be getting rave reviews.
Tigers supporters, do you agree with Brendon Gale’s assessment of the behind-the-scenes access?
“When people get a glimpse of what happens behind the scenes it contextualises some of the things that are going on,” Gale told AAP at Amazon’s documentary launch. “There were some things that happened during the year that was being presented externally was like ‘they’re out of control and egomaniacs’.
“But they’re human beings and they’re young men and they’re flawed, like we all are. You’ve just got to deal with it.”
3.12am EDT 03:12
Scott Heinrich has listed what he expects to be the season’s biggest talking points. And for Carlton, that includes the future of midfield superstar Patrick Cripps.
Blues fans, do you expect Cripps to be at Princes Park next year?
There is no bigger name in this year’s crop of restricted free agents than Patrick Cripps. The man is a beast, he will be just turning 26 when the season begins and any club in the land would welcome him with open arms. He’s also yet to make a solitary finals appearance in his seven years at Carlton. The Blues may be on the improve, but Cripps will know this is a gilt-edged chance to improve his lot both personally and professionally. Carlton will want to tie up their co-captain yesterday, but these things have a habit of dragging out. Cripps’ future will be an ongoing hot topic in 2021.
2.54am EDT 02:54
Tonight will see the introduction of the AFL’s hastily introduced medical substitute amendment. Quite why it took until the eve of the new season to confirm is anybody’s guess, but here it is. I’m sure it won’t be abused, and equally sure it will be welcomed wholeheartedly by all in and around the game.
The substitute will be confirmed 60 minutes prior to a game starting and can only be chosen from the listed emergency players. They can be activated at any time of the game, including if teams have completed their 75 interchanges.
The substitute will receive a full match payment – outside the cap – and would receive a premiership medal if they were a member of a winning grand final team, even if they did not take to the field.
Games as substitutes will count towards players’ career games tallies, even if they are not activated, while substitutes would also be eligible to play at state league level that week.
2.47am EDT 02:47
What does the season have in store? Scott Heinrich has cast his eye over rule changes that carry the potential to liberate the Sherrin.
Don’t get your hopes up, but 2021 might just be the year the AFL gets its mojo back. Australia’s much-loved indigenous code has been suffering an identity crisis for nigh on two decades now, mired in a losing battle against an invisible enemy. There is no dirtier word in the game than congestion, and the game has never been harder to watch.
2.18am EDT 02:18
Preamble 
Nights are drawing in, leaves are crinkling around the edges, and all anyone in Victoria is talking about is the footy. Say goodbye to summer and welcome home to another six months of the AFL ruling your life.
Round one gets underway tonight at the MCG with the now traditional season-opener between Richmond and Carlton. The opening bounce is scheduled for 7.25pm.
There is always mighty anticipation for this contest, but this year more than ever, with Victorian fans missing out on attending an entire season in 2020. The atmosphere in some parts of Melbourne have resembled grand final week as Tigers and Blues supporters rush to end, what for many, will be the longest match-going droughts of their football-supporting lives. For Richmond the experience will be further heightened, with the club unfurling both its 2019 and 2020 premiership flags concurrently.
That is a useful indicator of the balance of power between these two historic rivals. Richmond are the best in the business, and have been since collecting the first of three flags in four years in 2017. Dispiritingly for their competition, there is little indication there will be any drop-off this season with just two members of the most recent grand final victory not named in Damien Hardwick’s first 22 (or should that be 23?) of the new campaign. It’s not been a straightforward offseason for Hardwick, who faced scrutiny over his private life, but it would be typical of the bloody-mindedness of a modern football club to turn that to their advantage and foster the much sought-after siege mentality.
For the Blues it’s another clean slate and another chance to dream. After a long period of squad building it’s high time results started to follow. David Teague will not get an easy ride this season, and he will hope for more luck on the injury front. Key players missed a lot of minutes last year, and Carlton’s injury list is already concerning ahead of round one.
Because this is the opening match of the season we’re opening the blog much earlier than usual. Plenty of time to get through all the issues of the week, and for you to join in. You know how it works, emails to jonathan.howcroft.casual@theguardian.com and tweets to @JPHowcroft.
The AFL nostalgia is ripe for Wayne Peters and Scott Lee to reprise this on The Front Bar.
Updated at 2.31am EDT