Footy was back in earnest over the weekend, and although the results should be taken with a mountain of salt, the opening acts of a number of potentially season-defining stories were written.
As always, the first games of the JLT Community Series gave us our first look at new rules, new faces in new jumpers, positional changes and new draftees.
Here are the major takeaways from the weekend's action:
The opening round of the JLT Community Series was the first opportunity for players, coaches, umpires and fans alike to evaluate the impact of rules changes in formal games. Despite something of a debacle in the West Coast vs Geelong game in which it took almost a full minute to reset positions after a free kick was paid in the middle of the ground for a positional zone infringement, the feedback from players and coaches was largely positive.
What was most noticeable to fans watching on television was the amount of space in the centre square immediately after a centre bounce, which allowed midfielders to generate damaging clearances via run-and-carry followed by a penetrating kick to one-on-one contests inside 50. Also prevalent was the instance of players using the extra room afforded to them when kicking in after a behind to gain extra metres before roosting the ball downfield, which prevented play from being bogged down inside defensive 50.
Of course, coaches will adjust to the new environment and implement more preventative mechanisms as the season goes on, but it appears that for now at least, the new rules are having the desired effects on the look of the game.
Number one draft pick Sam Walsh will rightfully garner the bulk of the attention for his scintillating 28-disposal debut on Thursday night, but he wasn't the only member of the 2018 draft crop to show his potential over the course of the weekend.
North Melbourne father-son selection Bailey Scott appeared composed while amassing 21 disposals in his first AFL hitout, while the aptly-named Zak Butters showed off his smooth moves on his way to 25 disposals and two goal assists, displaying the class that led Port Adelaide to make him the 12th pick in last year's draft.
GWS duo Jackson Hately and Jye Caldwell staked their claims to fill the void left by the departures of Dylan Shiel and Tom Scully, while Geelong fans would be encouraged by the performance of 15th pick Jordan Clark in defence.
It was also a promising weekend for a number of 2017 draftees, including fourth pick Luke Davies-Uniacke. The second-year midfielder gathered 27 disposals, and looks set to build on last year's seven-game debut season. In addition, Geelong youngster Charlie Constable did his chances of earning a round one AFL debut no harm with 26 disposals, while second-round picks Noah Balta (Richmond) and Oscar Allen (West Coast) flourished in key forward roles.
Lost in the midst of the debate surrounding the new on-field rules for season 2019, the AFL's decision to allow clubs to add previously AFL-listed players, as well as those who have been overlooked in multiple drafts, to their lists during the newly-implemented supplemental selection period made its mark during the first round of tune-up games.
This was most evident in the pre-season opener, with Zac Clarke and Michael Gibbons making their first appearances for Essendon and Carlton, respectively. Former Fremantle ruckman Clarke, who played a starring role in Subiaco's undefeated 2018 WAFL season, showed he could be a factor for Essendon in 2019 with 15 disposals, 37 hitouts and a goal.
Meanwhile, dual J.J. Liston Trophy winner Gibbons played a prominent role up forward for the Blues, with the former Williamstown ball-magnet kicking three goals.
They just won't go away. After eschewing early draft picks in favour of known quantities such as Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O'Meara and Chad Wingard in recent years, the Hawks have been left almost empty-handed when it comes to highly-touted draftees. In fact, Hawthorn has picked in the top 20 only twice in the last 10 drafts (pick 19 on both occasions), with these picks netting Isaac Smith and Ryan Burton, who is no longer at the club. Such a dearth of early draft picks would be enough to sink most clubs, but the Hawthorn coaches have done a terrific job of developing players picked in the draft's abyss.
Despite the disappointing result against an almost full-strength Brisbane outfit, the talent of the young Hawks was on full display in the 42-point defeat. Given a chance to shine in a Hawthorn lineup more closely resembling that of the Box Hill Hawks, opportunity-starved James Cousins (29 disposals) shone, as did rookie-listed duo Will Golds (25 disposals) and Harrison Jones (21 disposals).
Road trips can often be a great time for self-reflection, and it appears many of the Saints players used the long drive from Moorabbin to Werribee to do exactly that. Following a bad news week in which it was revealed that stars Jack Steven and Jake Carlisle would likely spend lengthy stints on the sidelines, an uninspiring opening term saw the Saints trail the Kangaroos by 11 points at quarter-time.
However, in a remarkable turnaround, the Saints piled on eight goals to two in the second term before holding on in the second half to record a 25-point victory in a game that felt like it meant a lot more to the St Kilda Football Club than the average pre-season game.
Such was the importance of the victory that Saints coach Alan Richardson, entering the most important season of his tenure, took the unusual measure of enlisting club CEO Matt Finnis to talk to the playing group after the game. Make of this what you will, but clearly St Kilda is committed to doing all that it can to reverse course after a disastrous 2018.
Encouragingly for the Saints, Dylan Roberton collected 21 disposals in a successful return to action following last year's heart scare, while Paddy McCartin showed promising signs in the forward line. Former Demon Dean Kent and mature-age WAFL recruit Matthew Parker made good impressions in their first St Kilda appearances, kicking two goals apiece.