The leaves are beginning to tumble, the weather is taking a turn, and all around Australia, there’s a scent of excitement in the air – which means only one thing. Footy is back, baby!

And, like always, that means it’s time to relaunch The Roar’s AFL tipping competition – and with it, our expert tipping column.

Joining me once again for the new year will be Liam Salter, Dem Panopoulos and Cameron Rose to give our thoughts on the weekend’s matches – starting, of course, with the new ‘Opening Round’.

With just four matches to dissect, you’d think this might have been an easy job for us – but with four genuinely exciting games to kick us off with, including all four of last year’s preliminary finalists and a new-coach-vs-old-mob grudge match (and, of course, Brodie Grundy vs Max Gawn) every match brings with it a different, and fascinating, series of subplots that will likely shape the early season.

I’m coming off one of my worst tipping seasons ever, a slow moving car crash that got more disastrous the longer the year went, so I’m hopeful, but not all that confident, 2024 will prove more fruitful.

As it stands, us experts have a point to prove: that’s now three years in a row ‘The Crowd’ has taken out the expert tipping honours. I for one am mad as hell, and am not going to take it anymore – it’s time to reclaim the mantle off the unknown masses that are all you good folks in the Roar community.

Good luck everyone, and as always… may the best tipster win!

Tim Miller

Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, GWS

Whatever you make of the AFL’s new-fangled ‘Opening Round’ – and I think I’ve made mine perfectly clear – you can’t deny the four matches we’ll see to kick off the first weekend of 2024 could hardly be more tantalising.

It’s Melbourne vs old muckers Brodie Grundy and James Jordon at the SCG; the Swans are injury-depleted, especially in midfield, and with Clayton Oliver back in the fold after a turbulent off-season, it’s hard to tip against the Dees.

Similarly, on Friday night, Brisbane should have spent the summer angrily ruminating on what might have been in last year’s grand final – surely they’ll be chomping at the bit to start their revenge mission against a Carlton outfit shorn of some key names, most obviously Jacob Weitering and Sam Walsh, and one they handled comfortably at the Gabba with both of them fit and firing in the 2023 preliminary final.

With six of last year’s finalists featuring this weekend, the only match between the also-rans might be the most fascinating. It’s the dawn of the Damien Hardwick era at Gold Coast, fittingly against his old side Richmond, and without question it’s the Suns who have the most to lose this weekend.

Despite a horror pre-season, a fully fit Suns really should have no problems accounting for a Toby Nankervis, Tom Lynch-less Richmond… which of course means they’ll probably disappoint us all. That’s not going to stop me tipping them, though.

And last but not least, the grudge match of the weekend – GWS and Collingwood have done a lot of trash talking this summer, and at the ‘showground for livestock’, in Mason Cox’s words, the Giants will be ultra-keen to avenge last year’s preliminary final loss.

I’ve backed them in as my premier for 2024, so I’m duty bound to tip them here, though I acknowledge going against Collingwood in anything even remotely resembling a 50/50 game is fraught with danger.

Dem Panopoulos

Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Collingwood

Footy’s officially back and it’s the first week of March – these are wild times we live in.

Whether you want to call it Round 0, Opening Round or perhaps more aptly, a silly idea, the four games that have been scheduled should all have a bit of spice to them, making the fixturing a success regardless of personal opinion.

Melbourne travel to the SCG in what could well be the new season opener if we’re not careful – and it’s an intriguing clash. The Demons seem more volatile overall – their upside is being the best team in the league, while their downside could see them miss the eight.

It’ll be closer to the first, but watching their engine room take control over the Swans is what one would expect to see.

The Lions and Suns should really get their respective jobs done against depleted opposition on a tier below in Carlton and Richmond.

Then, there’s the GWS-Collingwood clash. Personally, I think the Giants are being rated too highly this season – their best 23 is strong, but their depth will be tested though at times and the coaching needs to take another step forward.

It’s not to say they can’t beat the reigning premiers, but it’ll be reliant on Toby Greene and Jesse Hogan beating Brayden Maynard, Isaac Quaynor and Darcy Moore. It’s too early in the season for that.   

Cameron Rose

Melbourne, Brisbane, Richmond, Collingwood

The Demons look a decent play to kick off the season, with the Swans looking light in the midfield and relying on an unproven forward line.

The Lions should take care of an injury-hit Blues, despite the return of Zac Williams; while the Suns have spluttered their way through the pre-season under new coach Hardwick, and the man who replaced him at Tigerland, Adem Yze, might be able to spring an upset.

I’m trusting in the Pies to kick off their premiership defence with a win on the road against GWS.

Liam Salter

Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Collingwood

We’re back. Kinda?

The AFL beginning the season a week earlier, purely to spite the galavanting-around-in-Vegas NRL, sees the season begin with four games up and down the Pacific Highway, beginning with the Swans and Dees.

Both flopping out of last year’s finals series, it’s likely the Victorians who are keen to leave a tumultuous off-season behind with some of the real stuff. It’s Sydney who are more injury hit – no Taylor Adams, no Luke Parker, no Callum Mills – while the Dees welcome back Clayton Oliver.

The Dees are ostensibly favourites here, but I’m backing in the Swans to take the spoils. 

Carlton kicks off their season with a tough road trip to the Gabba for a fascinating encounter with Brisbane. I’ve been punished far too often by underestimating the Blues, but it’s Brissy’s to lose.

Their flailing Queensland counterparts in Gold Coast kick off the Damien Hardwick era, of course, by facing Richmond. It isn’t often the Suns are smart-money tips for anything, and they didn’t inspire in pre-season clashes. But high on early-season optimism, Hardwick should earn a famous win here. 

The reigning premiers close out this pseudo-round, visiting the Giants. Last September’s cruel (in GWS eyes) preliminary final loss will be front and centre, and as they did in that game, the Magpies will clinch a win here to kick off their campaign. 

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