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:
5. St Kilda is showing up to play in 2019
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.
