Snapshot for round one of the AFL season

THEY SAID IT: "We need to get our hands dirty, and we didn't at all. There's no easy ball, particularly on a Saturday night in south-east Queensland, in those conditions." - Gold Coast coach Stuart Dew bemoaned his side's lack of fight around the contest in a 49-point hiding from Sydney.

PLAYER OF THE ROUND: Jason Horne-Francis. After controversially walking out of North Melbourne, the former No.1 draft pick made a stunning debut for Port Adelaide with 25 disposals, 10 inside-50s, 11 score involvements and a goal in a 54-point win over Brisbane.

THE MOMENT: Richmond spearhead Tom Lynch stood tallest to drag in a contested mark and kicked the goal that levelled the scores in Thursday night's season opener with less than 30 seconds left on the clock. Carlton launched a last-gasp forward thrust from the next centre bounce but new recruit Blake Acres dropped a mark that would've given him a shot at goal from just outside 50m after the siren. The Tigers and Blues had to settle for a share of the points.

TALKING POINT: The state of the MCG turf came under fire from unimpressed Geelong coach Chris Scott, who saw key pair Tom Stewart and Sam De Koning leave the field with knee injuries during the loss to Collingwood. De Koning returned, but Stewart was substituted out of the game. About half the MCG playing surface was replaced this month following two Ed Sheeran concerts and Scott said the ground was "compromised", branding the situation an "own goal" for the famous venue. Also, all four "new" coaches - debutant Adam Kingsley (GWS), plus Alastair Clarkson (North), Brad Scott (Essendon) and Ross Lyon (St Kilda) were round-one winners.

STATS THAT MATTER: No.3 draft pick Harry Sheezel set North Melbourne fans' tongues wagging with a scintillating performance, gathering 34 disposals across half-back. The tally was the third-highest of any player on debut in AFL/VFL history, behind St Kilda's Dean Greig (39, 1991) and Geelong's Greg Williams (38, 1984).

TRIBUNAL WATCH: Three head-high bumps attracted match review officer scrutiny at a time when concussion is a hot topic in professional sport. Sydney superstar Lance Franklin and Melbourne livewire Kysaiah Pickett were handed one-match and two-match bans respectively for their hits on Gold Coast's Sam Collins and the Bulldogs' Bailey Smith. Adelaide forward Shane McAdam could find himself in even more trouble after a brutal bump on GWS opponent Jacob Wehr on Sunday.

INJURIES: J Howe (Coll, broken arm), T Adams (Coll, foot), T Stewart (Geel, knee), S De Koning (Geel, knee), T Stengle (Geel, shoulder), T Xerri (NM, ankle), L Jones (WB, neck), H Perryman (GWS, hamstring), L Whitfield (GWS, concussion), J Kelly (GWS, concussion).

WHAT'S NEXT: A pair of heavyweight clashes kick off round two as Carlton meet Geelong (Thursday) and Brisbane host Melbourne (Friday), with three of those four flag contenders still searching for their first wins of the season. Collingwood face Port Adelaide in a mouth-watering contest, while the Western Bulldogs meet St Kilda at Marvel Stadium. Sydney will be out to continue their strong early form at home against Hawthorn.