2026 Round 1 Preview

The engine is warm, the cobwebs are gone, and now the real grind begins—welcome to Round 1 of the 2026 AFL Season!

The Kick to Kick Podcast is back for the main event. After a high-octane Opening Round, we’re settling into the rhythm of the season by doing what we do best: honoring the future by obsessing over the past. This week, we travel back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries to see how these legendary rivalries first sparked to life.

This week, we’re breaking down:

• Carlton vs. Richmond: We look back at the origins of the "Traditional" season opener. Before it was a Thursday night blockbuster, it was a battle for inner-city bragging rights. We retrace their first official VFL encounter in Round 1, 1908, where the Tigers made their league debut against the reigning premier Blues.

• Essendon vs. Hawthorn: A rivalry built on "Line in the Sand" moments. We head back to Round 4, 1925, the first time the Mayblooms (as they were then known) met the powerhouse Mosquitto Fleet, long before the blood-and-thunder of the 80s took over.

• Collingwood vs. Adelaide Crows: A modern classic with a relatively short history. We revisit Round 15, 1991, when the new kids from South Australia first stepped onto Victoria Park to face the reigning premiers in a true culture shock.

• Melbourne vs. St Kilda: Two of the oldest clubs in the land. We go all the way back to Round 1, 1897—the very first weekend of VFL football—to see how the Dees and Saints started a century-plus of competition.

• Gold Coast Suns vs. West Coast Eagles: From the expansion era to now. We look back at Round 11, 2011, their inaugural clash at Subiaco, and how the pecking order has shifted in the 15 years since.