Welcome to ESPN's new weekly AFL column: 'Stocks up, stocks down'. Our footy experts cast their eye over the week's action to find out whose stocks are up -- whether it's a coaching masterstroke or a player having a blinder -- and whose are down. Every club features, so jump ahead to your team below (desktop only).
Crows | Lions | Blues | Magpies | Bombers | Dockers | Cats | Suns | Giants | Hawks | Demons | Roos | Power | Tigers | Saints | Swans | Eagles | Bulldogs
Adelaide
Stocks up: Taylor Walker wound back the clock on Saturday afternoon and slotted five majors to lead the Crows to a stunning upset over flag fancy Geelong. Big contested marks and long goals from outside 50; it truly was the Tex of old.
Stocks down: We might have our first controversial use of the medical sub after Luke Brown was subbed out of the game with a sore achilles. Not long after, however, Jake Kelly was knocked out by a reckless Patrick Dangerfield bump and the Crows were one down...
Brisbane
Stocks up: It's still the career which almost beggars belief, but Jarryd Lyons continues to play good footy at Brisbane. Forced out of Adelaide, and then a struggling Suns team, he's an integral member of the Lions' midfield. Another 28 touches and a goal from him on the weekend.
Stocks down: When you've won a Brownlow medal, it's pretty easy for your stocks to go down. Lachie Neale didn't lay a single tackle on Saturday night. Not good enough from a star midfielder.
Carlton
Stocks up: Could Oscar McDonald become Carlton's Liam Jones in reverse? Once a backman at the Dees, McDonald kicked two goals after coming on as the sub at half time for the Blues. One to watch...
Stocks down: The Blues will be most disappointed with their poor finishing in front of goal. On the ESPN Footy Podcast last week, Champion Data's Christian Joly said in order to beat the Tigers, you need to take your chances. Kicking 2.6 in a dominant third term isn't taking your chances.
Collingwood
Stocks up: There weren't too many positive for the Pies but Darcy Moore continues to show why he's one of the premier backmen in the game. His intercepting was sublime and his disposal for the most part was excellent. In a team which faced 60 inside 50s, he can stand tall.
Stocks down: After a year of serious growth and development, Josh Daicos went mostly unnoticed against the Dogs, finishing the night with just nine touches. With Adam Treloar now at the Dogs, and Steele Sidebottom injured, he really needs to do much more.
Essendon
Stocks up: Former Saint Nick Hind had a marvellous debut for his new club, and could be one of the bargain pickups of the offseason. The dashing Hind had 25 touches, 636 metres gained (No. 1 on the ground) and six marks.
Stocks down: In a one-point loss it's hard to point fingers, but debutant Harrison Jones' return of 0.3 on the night was costly. Two of his behinds were shanks from gettable shots, and at crucial times - the first smack bang in the middle of the Hawks' seven goal run in the third, and the second early in the fourth. He needs to get the monkey off his back!
Fremantle
Stocks up: A lot has been spoken about youngsters Andrew Brayshaw, Adam Cerra and Caleb Serong, but Hayden Young is showing impressive signs for a guy that has played just six games. In an under pressure backline, he had 19 touches, 532 metres gained, four intercept marks and 13 pressure acts.
Stocks down: After a 2020 without key defensive pillars Alex Pearce and Joel Hamling, the Dockers could again find themselves without them on the park after both suffered injuries in Round 1. Pearce's looks more serious - coach Justin Longmuir said it looks likely to be an MCL injury.
Geelong
Stocks up: 2020's big improver Cam Guthrie picked up 23 touches, six clearances and five marks in Geelong's shock defeat on Saturday afternoon. Those stats don't jump off the page, but when Chris Scott needed a spark in the second half, the 2020 Carji Greeves Medal winner didn't disappoint and was the mastermind behind Geelong's quick four-goal premiership-quarter flurry to get them back in the contest.
Stocks down: He's the AFLPA president, and the AFLPA is hell-bent on making footy safe for all players, so Patrick Dangerfield's choice to recklessly bump Jake Kelly on Saturday was a terrible decision and an even worse look. Deserves a big whack at the tribunal.
Adelaide's Jake Kelly has left the field on a stretcher after this incident with Patrick Dangerfield. #AFLCrowsCats pic.twitter.com/balFgnceyf
— AFL (@AFL) March 20, 2021
Gold Coast
Stocks up: Midfielder Jack Bowes continues to show excellent signs for the young Suns. He had 30 possessions -- 28 of those kicks! -- and had 607 metres gained throughout the match. Now 23, these are the sorts of performances we're expecting to see from the midfield brigade.
Stocks down: Oh no, not again! Matt Rowell left the field and was subbed out of the Suns' Round 1 match -- his return game after a season-ending shoulder injury against Geelong in 2020 -- after landing heavily on his knee in the first quarter. Footy can be so cruel.
GWS
Stocks up: 34 hit outs, 19 disposals (14 contested), six marks and five clearances and inside 50s; that was some debut from GWS ruckman Matt Flynn. The Giants Academy product was excellent both aerially and below the knees.
Stocks down: Forward Harry Himmelberg had the chance to slot his fourth major and put the Giants 16 points up in the process midway through the final term. There wasn't much angle to work and he wasn't a long way out, but he tried to kick the skin off the footy and slammed it into the right goal post. It was all the Saints after that.
Hawthorn
Stocks up: Take a bow, Clarko! Essendon's eight-goal avalanche in the second term should have been enough to set up a monumental Round 1 win. We should have known Alastair Clarkson was going to pull a rabbit out of the hat and spur his undermanned Hawks to a remarkable comeback victory.
Stocks down: It goes without saying but better teams are going to punish the Hawks for similar slow starts. They got away with it this time, but if Clarko really is the genius he's touted as, he needs to rectify that quickly.
Melbourne
Stocks up: Intercept king Jake Lever was in incredible touch in Round 1. Along with fellow key backman Steven May, Lever was dominant in the air in defence taking intercept marks all over the ground. Overall, the Dees took a staggering 26 intercept marks on Saturday.
Stocks down: He's showing plenty and it's early into his career, but can someone at Melbourne get a goal kicking coach to Luke Jackson? The big man was a presence in the forward line for the Dees but managed just one point and a few shanked kicks from ample opportunity.
North Melbourne
Stocks up: Maybe he is a midfielder! New recruit Jaidyn Stephenson racked up a career and game-high 33 disposals, seven tackles and five clearances in his first game for the Kangaroos since crossing from the Magpies in the offseason.
Stocks down: Unfortunately for North Melbourne, it's something that happens to young sides. But when you fall in the pressure game -- even for just 15 minutes -- good sides will punish you. The Roos coughed up eight second-quarter goals to let Port Adelaide establish its game-winning margin, after they more than held their own against last year's minor premiers.
Port Adelaide
Stocks up: New faces Orazio Fantasia (four goals) and Aliir Aliir (14 disposals, four marks) made emphatic debuts for their new club. Can they take the Power one step further this season?
Stocks down: Port Adelaide's big win was soured by a hamstring injury to running half-back Riley Bonner, who immediately walked from the field in the third term after attempting to kick the ball out of mid-air.
Richmond
Stocks up: It's hard to believe his stocks can rise higher, but if Dustin Martin -- a notoriously slow starter to seasons -- is already playing at this level ... well, watch out!
Stocks down: You think David Astbury would be thanking his lucky stars his silly and reckless errant elbow which hit Lachie Plowman high on Thursday night didn't cost him a week.
David Astbury has been reported for striking after this incident. #AFLTigersBlues pic.twitter.com/JJzEGDkRC7
— AFL (@AFL) March 18, 2021
St Kilda
Stocks up: Key forwards are useless in the wet? Tim Membrey's 21 disposals, three goals and seven marks beg to differ. The 26-year-old also made his way to the defensive 50 and took an important intercept mark in the dying stages of Sunday's thriller at GIANTS Stadium.
Stocks down: Hard to fault too much about the Saints' win, but given the lofty standards we've come to expect of co-captain Jack Steele, his 19-disposals and one behind left us eager to see more. His tackling, however, was excellent.
Sydney
Stocks up: Sydney's debutants were outstanding in their win on Saturday night. Errol Gulden and Logan McDonald kicked three apiece, and Braeden Campbell showed some spunk and tenacity. The perfect start to their careers.
Stocks down: Sydney's slow start meant nothing on Saturday night, but while they were still able to post an impressive win, conceding the opening three goals of every contest perhaps won't hold them in good stead if they wish to play finals in 2021.
West Coast
Stocks up: Could Oscar Allen be the successful long term solution up forward once Josh Kennedy calls it quits? The big man was excellent for the Eagles - he kicked 4.0 and took nine marks (two contested on the day).
Stocks down: Having to play 3pm (local) starts on a sunny Sunday afternoon sucks. It was too hot, the sun wreaked havoc for players and it was tough viewing on television.
Western Bulldogs
Stocks up: With an absolute ELITE midfield, it can be easy to forget about Bailey Smith. But 35 disposals, two goals and over 500 metres gained against the Pies should have all clubs, and fans, sitting up and taking note.
Stocks down: At one point in the second term the Dogs had more than double the number of inside 50s than Collingwood (32-16), but led by just more than two goals. They eventually ran away with the match but they're going to need to improve their efficiency inside 50 if they're to make a run later in the year.