Keeping it real early in the season

The Bombers celebrate after the upset win over Adelaide at AAMI Stadium. Picture: Morne de Klerk. Source: Getty Images

NEVER make judgments on the first game of the season.

Many greats of the game will tell you the "real stuff" starts as of Round 2.

Emotions run high for a range of reasons at every club leading into their opening games of the year, and last weekend's upset victories by Essendon over the Crows and Fremantle over West Coast are clear indication some things never change.

Richmond's win over Carlton on Friday night at the G was more a 50/50 contest and not a genuine upset, but nonetheless the Tigers' first success in 10 games over the Blues made it three out of three for the underdogs.

It's easy for most teams to get up for the first game of a season.

The playing field is level while the playing lists are often thin, with hopes of finals footy real at almost every club.

Sadly, just four weeks later things begin to change, and as contenders sort themselves from the pretenders the ladder starts to take a more genuine look.

Legitimate premiership hopes these days are timing their runs to September and slow starts to the minor round can often be a genuine consequence.

As the weeks roll on and the harshness of winter sets in, the cream rises to the top and those raw emotions so valuable in the opening rounds of a season are long forgotten.

The grind of a season has never been so great, as the demands on players young and old in the modern era stretch to new heights.

The introduction of the much-criticised "sports scientists" has taken the capabilities of the human body into a new world and, as Essendon showed last year, it can have dramatic consequences, good and bad, in the early days.

Keeping control over outsiders is a must and a correction is now in place at Windy Hill as the investigation by ASADA digs deeper into the practices at several clubs in the AFL and the NRL.

The Bombers' 2012 season started sensationally with eight wins from the first nine games and finals success loomed for the first time in years, only to be shattered by a complete reverse of form late in the season that saw them lose eight of the last nine games - including their last seven - to crash out of contention and finish 11th.

For the club to bounce back with a win in Round 1 despite the ongoing investigations is a credit to all at Windy Hill, but the ramifications of the findings could still bring their season to a crashing halt.

Uncertainty and rumours are now the Bombers' biggest threat.

Loose lips sink ships and the SS Essendon is still in troubled waters despite their great start to 2013.

The Crows' campaign is in a similar predicament, albeit for different reasons.

The beauty for Brenton Sanderson's outfit is the Crows' reasons are relatively well documented and appear much easier to fix.

Their pre-season has been anything but perfect and the team appears to be at least a week short of being completely ready.

Timing your run to September is important but it is only relative to those 100% certain to make it to the finals.

The Crows are yet to put that issue beyond doubt and the work is still well and truly ahead of them.

Inefficient tackling and a massive reliance on contested ball wins is their well-publicised issue.

To be so good at one and so poor at another is unusual and unless a quick fix is found the 2013 season is under serious threat.

Everyone deserves a second chance.

The Crows are up to theirs already and the ramifications will be serious if they don't make amends against Brisbane at the Gabba next weekend.

Sanderson will be laying down the law this week and demanding an immediate response from his playing group, hoping the platform they have built for future success will be enough to withstand the looming crisis.

Concerns over the ability of their forward line to kick big scores, a fragile looking defence added to the previous concerns suggest it could be a frustrating year.

But, everyone deserves a second chance

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