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AFL Round 2 stocks up, stocks down: Buddy's back; coaches under pressure

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: Tex, you've done it again! That's now 11 goals to start the season for veteran forward Taylor Walker after another stunning effort against the Swans on Saturday afternoon, slotting 6.3 to back up his handful of majors in Round 1.

Stocks down: Was it Adelaide's inaccuracy that cost them a 2-0 start to the season? The Crows were simply wasteful at the SCG, recording 11.22 and more scoring shots than the home side. They had their chances.

Brisbane

Stocks up: Joe Daniwho? Key forward Eric Hipwood was the man to keep Brisbane in the game against Geelong, booting four goals, three behinds in one of the best outings of his young career.

Stocks down: Reigning Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale has had a horror start to the season and was unable to play any part in his side's narrow loss to the Cats. The longer he's down, the longer you feel the Lions will be down.

Carlton

Stocks up: Crafty forward Michael Gibbons channeled his inner Eddie Betts on Thursday night, kicking two absolute belters; the first wowing Blues fans with a right foot checkside at the Punt Road end and the second an outrageous dribble from an impossible angle.

Stocks down: He started the season with high expectations, so it's fair to say David Teague is the most under pressure coach in the AFL through two rounds, given others under pressure (such as Matthew Nicks, Simon Goodwin and now Nathan Buckley) all have an early win to their name.

Collingwood

Stocks up: Rebound defender Jack Crisp collected a whopping 36 touches in Collingwood's win over arch rival Carlton on Thursday night - a game high and career best figure. The speedster added another dimension to a Pies midfield that lacked x-factor in Round 1.

Stocks down: After missing the entire 2016 and 2018 seasons, the Pies will again be without dynamic forward Jamie Elliott for around three months after he suffered a cracked fibula and will require surgery. It's a shame, as Elliott was on fire early against the Blues before falling awkwardly in a marking contest.

Essendon

Stocks up: Jordan Ridley can hold his head high on a day that was otherwise abysmal from the Bombers. The reigning best and fairest winner picked up 32 disposals and seven marks after seeing plenty of the ball in defence, picking up where he left off in a breakout 2020.

Stocks down: Adding insult to injury, the Essendon suffered three casualties during their 54-point smashing. Jye Caldwell (hamstring), Sam Draper (ankle) and Dylan Shiel (knee) all failed to see out the four quarters. It's a nervous wait for Bomber fans who see their side slump to 0-2.

Fremantle

Stocks up: For all the talk of these young Freo midfielders (who were again superb) can we take a moment to appreciate David Mundy!? It's not every day a 35-year-old racks up 35 disposals to go with six clearances and six inside 50s. The old man still has it!

Stocks down: The injuries are mounting for the Dockers and the loss of skipper Nat Fyfe to concussion is a huge blow. The two-time Brownlow Medal winner will not be able to play next week against the Blues, after being subbed out of the clash against the Giants on Sunday evening.

Geelong

Stocks up: Who doesn't love a draft smokey!? Geelong's ability to snatch Francis Evans from division two VAFA footy in 2019 was ingenious. The classy forward showed off his potential with two goals in the Cats' one-point win against the Lions. Welcome to the big time, Frank!

Stocks down: Just go away, Chris Scott. You're Geelong's coach, not Brisbane's. Mind your business and stay away from other teams' huddles! There's nothing gained by grandstanding.

Gold Coast

Stocks up: Losing Matt Rowell (again) was a HUGE blow for the Suns but his good mate Noah Anderson staked a claim for three Brownlow Medal votes of his own with a spectacular performance against North. Rowell and Anderson together is going to be box office!

Stocks down: Midfielder Ben Ainsworth is another exciting young Sun but he's got to find a way to improve his disposal. Against the Roos he had 18 disposals at just 44 percent accuracy.

GWS

Stocks up: Not a whole lot was worth getting excited for, but thank goodness for Toby Greene, just about the only Giant who could walk off Optus Stadium with his head held high.

Stocks down: If he wasn't under pressure before the season started, he certainly is now. Leon Cameron was totally outcoached by Justin Longmuir, refusing to make any sort of changes which could spark his side. It's going to be a long year for GWS, but will Cameron see it out?

Hawthorn

Stocks up: The man they call CJ is on his way to becoming a genuine star of the competition! Changkuoth Jiath was Hawthorn's best player on Sunday, racking up 25 disposals, 341m gained and a game-high 11 intercept possessions.

Stocks down: It was huge shame to see exciting youngster Will Day subbed out of the game after copping a heavy tackle late in the third quarter. Let's hope he doesn't miss much football.

Melbourne

Stocks up: Do you think Dees fans are keeping a lid on Kysaiah Pickett? The dynamic youngster showed some very encouraging signs in Melbourne's win; he kicked two majors, made opponents look like onlookers once the ball hit the deck in Melbourne's forward line, and has a rockstar haircut. Onya, Kozzie!

Stocks down: In perfect conditions under the roof at Marvel Stadium, the Dees may come to rue some rank inaccuracy. The Dees had 31 scoring shots from 54 entries, but could only manage 12.19 (91) on the night. It could have been a spanking!

North Melbourne

Stocks up: Oh boy, there's not much to get excited about at Arden Street, but Jed Anderson can hold his head high after a 27 disposal, 14 tackle effort in his side's loss to the Suns.

Stocks down: How about the whole club? It's an absolute shambles at the minute. Time to play some more kids and have the dead wood dropped to the twos.

Port Adelaide

Stocks up: Port Adelaide's ruthless attack was led by the Charlie Dixon and Mitch Georgiades one-two punch, with the pair slotting eight of the Power's 18 majors in a powerful performance.

Stocks down: Perhaps it's a sign of their depth, but Port Adelaide using Tom Rockliff as a medical sub remains a head-scratcher for many. The midfield bull found the footy for fun in his Brisbane and early Power days, and now he's sitting on the pine...

Richmond

Stocks up: The Jack Riewoldt and Tom Lynch pairing looks to be getting stronger, if possible. The pair combined for six goals in a dominant display which will have left plenty of defenders around the country a little nervous.

Stocks down: Once a sharpshooter, Daniel Rioli seems to have gone off the boil a touch. The goalsneak kicked 0.4 against the Hawks from just seven disposals. You can't afford to have too many down games in this Richmond side.

St Kilda

Stocks up: Co-captain Jack Steele put his team on his back on Saturday night; despite the loss, the star midfielder had 24 touches (14 contested) and kicked three goals on the night. He's a star.

Stocks down: Poor Paul Hunter. He didn't ask to be the No. 1 ruck against the increasingly impressive duo of Max Gawn and Luke Jackson. But still, he struggled to give the Saints first use of the ball and didn't have much impact around the ground. He recorded 13 hit outs to Gawn's 40 and Jackson's 10, and didn't take a mark all match. The Saints desperately need Paddy Ryder or Rowan Marshall back in this team.

Sydney

Stocks up: The football world rejoiced when Lance Franklin lined up for his first AFL goal since Round 23, 2019. It was gloriously habitual; the future Hall of Famer wheeling around on the left and slotting his set shot from outside 50. The superstar's 3.2 is one step towards his bid for 1000 career majors.

Stocks down: The Swans are doing so much right and there's plenty more wins coming their way in 2021, but one player who hasn't had the most amazing start to the year is Dane Rampe. Was caught holding the ball multiple times against the Crows and conceded six goals to the in-form Taylor Walker.

West Coast

Stocks up: There's been talk Josh Kennedy could hang up the boots at season's end, but the Eagles spearhead is showing no signs of slowing down with another four goals against the Bulldogs. The 700 goal mark is in his sights.

Stocks down: Mark Hutchings might need to spend some time with Jackson Nelson, who attempted a shut-down role on Marcus Bontempelli, and failed miserably. The Bont booted three goals and racked up the ball at will in a clear best-on-ground effort which got the Dogs over the line.

Western Bulldogs

Stocks up: It's easy to praise the likes of Bontempelli, Jack Macrae and Josh Dunkley, but the Dogs don't beat the Eagles if not for Bailey Williams' sensational defensive effort in the final 90 seconds of the game. An absolutely underrated part of this Bulldogs side.

Stocks down: Ruckman Stefan Martin was far from his best on Sunday, and was comprehensively outplayed by Naitanui. He gave away free kicks, turned the ball over and went missing when Nic Nat sparked his side in the second half.