One of the most anticipated openings to an AFL season is now done and dusted, leaving the Zero Hanger team with plenty to ponder after a wild weekend of footy.

Many potential breakout players headline the round one performances, with future stars Jason Horne-Francis, Kysaiah Pickett, Chad Warner, Nick Daicos and many more leading their sides to big wins to kick off the season.

Each round this season, the Zero Hanger team - consisting of editor Mitch Keating, general manager Nick Splitter, deputy editor Ed Carmine and writer Jack Jovanosvski - will vote on every game to establish our AFL MVP for 2023.

Votes will be given out on a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 system for each game, meaning the maximum score any player can record in any game is 20.

Richmond vs Carlton

In one of the most anticipated season openers in recent memory, footy fans were treated to a classic nail-biter between the Tigers and Blues, eventuating in the first draw of 2023.

The story of the match pre-game was the impact of Richmond's midfield recruits, Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto. While the former struggled to find his footing straight away, Taranto showcased his contest ability from the get-go, flourishing from the scrappy nature of the opener, winning clearance after clearance.

Daniel Rioli was the standout however, timing his run and dash beautifully while providing poise with his ball use out of defensive 50 and posing an attacking threat also. Behind he and Taranto, Toby Nankervis was strong in the ruck and in the air while Tom Lynch deserves praise for his clutch mark and finish in the dying seconds.

For the Blues, Lewis Young played a crucial role on forward Jack Riewoldt, constantly bringing the ball to ground when not racking up intercepts. He provided excellent support for Jacob Weitering who also played his role effectively on Lynch. At ground level, George Hewett often had first hands on the pill at stoppages while Sam Docherty was quality with his 25 disposals and eight marks.

Geelong vs Collingwood

Immediately endorsed as the match of the round when the fixture opened, Collingwood flexed their muscles against the reigning premiers in Round 1 with a convincing fourth-quarter performance resulting in a quality win.

The top player performances all belonged to Collingwood, with Jordan De Goey in particular imprinting his impact on the match with 25 disposals and three goals. Right behind him was young superstar Nick Daicos who looks to have transcended his 2022 form with his 35 disposals at a ridiculous 91% efficiency. Brother Josh also contributed heavily with his 27 touches, while Scott Pendlebury continues to shine in the midfield at 35 years old.

There were countless unsung heroes for Collingwood on the night; recruits Tom Mitchell and Bobby Hill were critical with their 31 disposals and five goals between them. John Noble provided poise out of defensive 50, while Beau McCreery added 20 touches and two goals to his constant pressure forward of centre.

North Melbourne vs West Coast

The first case study of the Clarko effect was a thrilling ride for Kangaroos fans, as they just snuck over the line against a disappointing Eagles outfit by five points.

While it was Luke Davies-Uniacke who rightly claimed a perfect 20 votes with his dominant midfield performance, the story of the match was number three draft pick Harry Sheezel, who collected a whopping 34 disposals on debut, the most recorded by a first-gamer in 32 years. While these two stars took the brunt of the North Melbourne praise, Nick Larkey raised his hand as one of the potential superstar key-forwards of the competition with six crucial goals in a game decided by less than one.

Some lesser lights included Hugh Greenwood with his excellent performance in the ruck after Tristan Xerri went down, while Cam Zurhaar and Jack Ziebell led the way with their hardness and ball use respectively.

For West Coast, Liam Ryan and Luke Shuey were both solid in a poor side, kicking match-threatening goals or providing a level of explosiveness with the ball in hand.

Port Adelaide vs Brisbane

The surprise of the round undoubtedly came with Port Adelaide's smashing of Brisbane in a whopping 54-point victory at Adelaide Oval.

Man-of-the-match, Jason Horne-Francis put his hand up for early recruit of the year with a monster performance against potentially the best midfield in the comp. His 25-disposal, one-goal performance while matched up on Lachie Neale for periods of the game earned the only other perfect 20 and will have Power fans ecstatic about his future.

Behind him, Todd Marshall made his mark as another up & coming superstar full forward with his four goals and eight marks, while Junior Rioli impressed in his first outing with the Power; booting three majors himself to go with some spectacular plays.

In defence, Aliir Aliir was back to his brilliant best, while Ryan Burton impressed with his 24 touches. Midfielders Connor Rozee and Ollie Wines collected their fair share while Charlie Dixon could've ended with six snags if he kicked straight. Although he'd still be content with his three.

For the Lions, recruit Josh Dunkley was gallant in the trenches but his side was missing elsewhere.

Melbourne vs Western Bulldogs

The Demons may have staked their claim as the premiership favourites with their convincing win over the Bulldogs with four notable absentees.

His brutal bump notwithstanding, Kysaiah Pickett was brilliant in his first outing of the year, making an early case as the All-Australian forward pocket with his versatile four-goal, 19-disposal, seven-mark and eight-tackle display. Max Gawn was typically pivotal with 21 touches himself to go with 21 hit-outs and two majors.

Ben Brown displayed a positive return to form with four goals, while Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca were terrific at the clearance as per usual. In defence, Jake Lever stepped up tremendously in the absence of Steven May, taking nine marks himself and preventing the Dogs' tall forwards from inflicting damage.

For the Dogs, Tom Liberatore battled hard all night while Tim English provided a dynamic presence against a potent ruck combination.

Gold Coast vs Sydney

The Swans showed no signs of a grand final hangover in their match against the Suns, dominating away from home and coming out 49-point victors.

It was the Swan's young guns carrying the load as Chad Warner, Errol Gulden and Dylan Stephens all dominated, collecting 81 disposals, 17 tackles and a couple of goals between them. Surprisingly, however, Dane Rampe may have left the game with best-on-ground honours with his efficient 25 disposals and nine marks. Tom Papley was also a notable threat forward of centre, adding two goals himself.

For the Suns, Jarrod Witts was outstanding with a monster 25-disposal, 51 hit-out performance. Touk Miller and Matt Rowell also stuffed the stat sheet but didn't impact nearly enough.

GWS vs Adelaide

The Giants and Crows were forced to battle an absolute war of attrition on a 36-degree Sunday afternoon at GIANTS Stadium, with the Giants claiming a special first victory under Adam Kingsley.

They were led heroically by their leaders Toby Greene and Stephen Coniglio, who fought until the very end with seemingly every member of either team left cramping and spent in the heat. Greene in particular was inspirational in his first game as sole captain, slotting four crucial goals and setting the tone for the second-half comeback.

Coniglio and Tom Green were pivotal out of the guts, collecting 32 and 37 disposals respectively to go with a goal each.

For the Crows, Izak Rankine showed some positive return for his hefty contract in his first game as a Crow, dazzling the opposition defence with 11 score involvements, while Josh Rachele was brilliant in the cursed high half-forward role, kicking three goals himself from 18 damaging disposals.

Hawthorn vs Essendon

While these familiar foes were expected to tussle it out in a tight match, the Brad Scott Bombers proved too much for the young Hawks, recording the largest victory of the weekend with a 59-point win.

Archie Perkins had a breakout game, slotting three goals from 20 touches and seven marks; he is one to watch this season for Bombers fans. Mason Redman was typically explosive off half-back, adding two goals himself.

Out of the midfield, Darcy Parish, Zach Merrett and recruit Will Setterfield all added their fair share of touches, while Nic Martin was a notable forward threat. Brandon Zerk-Thatcher also showed signs as a key defender of the future.

For Hawthorn, James Worpel returned to form with 29 disposals, while Sicily led well with 30 and 15 marks.

St Kilda vs Fremantle

The final match of the weekend put the finishing touches on a perfectly scripted round of footy, with Ross the boss taking down his old mob in Fremantle with a dramatically undermanned Saints squad.

The most notable performances came out of the Fremantle back six, with Brennan Cox, Luke Ryan and Hayden Young recording some obscene stat lines; gathering nearly 100 disposals and 50 marks between them.

For the Saints, Brad Crouch was critical with his 30 touches, while Mason Wood provided a threatening aerial presence in a tactical move forward, kicking two goals from his 20 disposals. Jack Steele led well with 28 himself, while 21-year-old Ryan Byrnes surprised many with a breakout 27 disposal performance to kick off his fourth season in the system.

LEADERBOARD

RANK			LAST ROUND	TOTAL
1		Jason Horne-Francis	20	20
1		Luke Davies-Uniacke	20	20
3		Jordan De Goey	19	19
3		Kysaiah Pickett	19	19
3		Stephen Coniglio	19	19
6		Archie Perkins	18	18
7		Brennan Cox	17	17
7		Chad Warner	17	17
7		Daniel Rioli	17	17
7		Darcy Parish	17	17
7		Max Gawn	17	17

Full 2023 MVP leaderboard