The opening official AFL pre-season practice games took place on Thursday, with some key info coming from the likes of Nick Daicos, James Worpel, Cam Mackenzie, Scott Lycett and Darcy Wilmot.

Brisbane Lions v Geelong

• Josh Dunkley and Will Ashcroft need to be locks in your sides, with 31 and 26 disposals respectively for Brisbane. Dunkley and Ashcroft attended 19 and 13 of 23 CBs respectively.
• Darcy Wilmot played off a wing for nine touches, while Conor McKenna managed 14 disposals off half-back.
• Tanner Bruhn bolted into calculations with 19 possessions from 11 of 23 CBAs.
• Esava Ratugolea had a limited impact in defence, with 10 disposals and three marks, but looks right in contention for Round 1 playing 89% TOG (time on ground).
• Jack Payne (hamstring), Eric Hipwood (hip) and Jake Kolodjashnij (head) copped injuries. Lions assistant Cam Bruce said Payne was “fine” and Hipwood was only “precautionary” after a cork.
• Daniel Rich and Tom Stewart led the kick-ins for each respective side with 5 each.

Main takeaways from Brisbane vs Geelong:

– Dunkley great and Ashcroft continues to shine. Put them in your sides 🔒
– Bruhn solid. Could be an option under $500k 🤔
– McKenna (HB) and Wilmot (wing) did their thing. Interesting to see if they are in the rd 1 team 🤔 #AFLFantasy

— Bailey Irrgang (@baileyirrgang) March 2, 2023

Fremantle v Port Adelaide

• Matthew Johnson didn’t play for the first three quarters, only coming get three touches in the last quarter, only managing 24% TOG. He seems unlikely for Round 1.
• Nat Fyfe impressed forward, booting three goals with 15 touches and six marks.
• Sam Sturt kicked two goals but wasn’t prolific, getting only eight touches off half-forward.
• In a Port side missing Travis Boak, Connor Rozee had their most CBAs with 20 of 25, collecting 25 disposals, while Jason Horne-Francis had 16 CBAs for 21 touches.
• Scott Lycett attended 18 of 25 CBs but had minimal impact and limited game-time with 60% TOG. Mitch Georgiades went off but Ken Hinkley said it was only cramp in his quad.
• Dan Houston and Ryan Burton (6) had Port’s most kick-ins, while Hayden Young (4) took Freo’s most but Luke Ryan was out.

Port-Adelaide 25 – Connor Rozee 20, Scott Lycett 18, Jason Horne-Francis 16, Ollie Wines 15, Willem Drew 10, Lachie Jones 7, Zak Butters 6, Brynn Teakle 4, Charlie Dixon 3 & Sam Powell-Pepper 1

— AFLstatsmate (@AFLstatsmate) March 2, 2023

Hawthorn v Collingwood

• Cam Mackenzie firmed up his status as a Round 1 must-have, rotating through the midfield and gathering 24 touches. Mackenzie had Hawthorn’s second-most CBAs, with 19 of 31.
• James Worpel may have convinced a few as well, with 30 possessions in midfield, attending 18 CBs. Will Day attended 16 CBs, gathering 20 disposals.
• Ned Reeves (19) was lead ruck, with Lloyd Meek (12) second fiddle, playing a bit more forward.
• Among the other rookies, Fergus Greene kicked three goals up forward, while Henry Hustwaite struggled for impact with only 33% TOG.
• Tom Mitchell attended 19 of the 31 CBAs, collecting 28 disposals with 20 of those handballs.
• In terms of the Collingwood ruck split, Darcy Cameron (17) had just over half the CBAs with Mason Cox (14).
• Nick Daicos only had 2 CBAs and was tagged by Finn Maginness, restricting him to 17 disposals.
• Patrick Lipinski picked up an apparent shoulder injury and will need scans, while Jordan De Goey may come under MRO scrutiny for a tackle on Reeves.
• Lachlan Bramble (6), James Sicily (5) and Blake Hardwick (4) shared Hawthorn’s kick-ins, while Darcy Moore (6) had Collingwood’s most with Nick Daicos taking 3.

Read Saturday’s practice games recap

Read Friday’s practice games recap

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