Melbourne have made an early-season statement with a big win over the Bulldogs, but a heavy bump by Kysaiah Pickett will come under scrutiny.

Meanwhile Sydney made a perfect start to the season in response to last year's grand final defeat, smashing Gold Coast by 49 points.

Earlier, Port Adelaide launched a second-half onslaught to destroy Brisbane in an impressive 54-point win.

And Alastair Clarkson made a winning start to his tenure as North Melbourne coach with a five-point victory over West Coast at Docklands. 

Demons make impressive start to campaign against Dogs

Melbourne livewire Kysaiah Pickett has played a starring role in a 50-point thumping of the Western Bulldogs, but faces suspension over his high bump on Bailey Smith.

Pickett and key forward Ben Brown kicked four goals apiece in the Demons' 17.13 (115) to 9.11 (65) triumph at the MCG on Saturday night.

The 21-year-old speedster started in the centre square and was a constant threat in the front half, finishing with 19 disposals, 11 score involvements, eight tackles and three clearances.

But he will come under scrutiny from the match review officer over his collision with Smith during the second quarter.

Pickett left the ground and made contact with his shoulder to Smith's head as the Bulldogs superstar kicked the ball forward.

Smith was not seriously hurt and played out the game.

The incident comes amid an intense focus on concussion in football, with the AFL facing class action from past players seeking compensation for their injuries.

It was a dirty night for the Dogs, who lost defender Liam Jones before half-time to a sore neck from a collision in a marking contest on his return after a year out of the AFL.

Midfield guns Clayton Oliver (33 disposals, nine clearances) and Christian Petracca (30, eight) seized control of the contest for Melbourne and skipper Max Gawn (21 disposals, two goals) shone in his new ruck-forward pairing with recruit Brodie Grundy.

Grundy received huge cheers from the Melbourne faithful when he kicked a final-quarter goal.

Charlie Spargo (two goals) also hit the scoreboard, and Jake Lever was reliable as ever in the back-line without injured defensive partner Steven May.

The much-hyped 'Dinosaur Dogs' failed to fire.

Aaron Naughton (1.2) and Jamarra Ugle-Hagan (1.3) didn't make the most of their chances in front of goal, while inexperienced Sam Darcy and trade recruit Rory Lobb had little influence.

But it was in the midfield where the Bulldogs were overwhelmed by their opponents despite Jack Macrae (33 disposals), Adam Treloar (32) and Tom Liberatore (32) winning plenty of the ball.

Tempers flared during the second term when Pickett flattened Smith, with Bulldogs players rushing in to defend their teammate.

Smith wasn't fazed, bouncing back to his feet immediately, and did not take part in the ensuing melee.

The Demons kicked the next five goals, including one to Pickett, in a 10-minute burst as they took a 19-point lead to half-time.

Pickett's fourth goal in the shadows of three-quarter time broke the Bulldogs' back as Melbourne strolled to a comfortable victory.

Swans sizzle in humidity with commanding win over Suns

Lance Franklin's booming left foot got Sydney underway before Dane Rampe led a rampant Swans outfit in a 49-point domination of Gold Coast to begin their AFL season.

The visitors won 16.14 (110) 9.7 (61) at Carrara Stadium on Saturday night, becoming just the second beaten grand finalist in seven years to win their opening game.

Twelve different Swans kicked goals but none managed more than two, while Rampe (25 touches) defied the slippery, humid conditions to have 20 disposals at half-time.

Chad Warner (30), Jake Lloyd (28) and Dylan Stephens (27) took up the slack after that.

That spread sparked a team-wide display of pressure that rattled the Suns early, with points from turnovers killing Stuart Dew's men.

The contest was effectively over inside 20 minutes, the Swans kicking the game's first five goals and Franklin the opening couple.

The 36-year-old, in his 19th and final season, marked over the head of Sam Collins and boomed the opener high into the stands.

Then his set shot straightened to send Sydney on their way, Franklin overtaking Barry Hall to move to third on the club's goal-scoring chart in a sparkling first 10 minutes.

He remained heavily involved in a dominant term for the hosts that was tempered by two late Suns goals.

David Swallow's snap then skipped through to begin the third term and suddenly Gold Coast were only 15 behind.

The host's stepped up their pressure but had nothing to show for it, Harry Cunningham and Isaac Heeney's goals hefty blows for the Suns to swallow.

Tom Papley added to his highlight reel with two pearlers, his first goal off the outside of his right foot in traffic and the second on the run to open the third term.

Logan McDonald then ran into an open goal and launched the ball into the stadium roof in an emphatic act that all-but broke the hosts.

Oliver Florent caught Gold Coast's defence napping to add another and Errol Gulden skipped a major through to make it a 48-point lead.

Back for his first AFL game since 2021, Ben King had to wait until the third quarter for his first kick.

But from deep in the pocket it was long and straight for a Suns goal in front of 13,648 fans.

He then put his body on the line to deflect a loose ball towards Ben Ainsworth for the first of his two final-quarter goals.

Suns ruckman Jarrod Witts battled hard while it took Touk Miller (29 touches) and Matt Rowell (28) until the third term to get their hands on the ball with any authority and Sam Flanders (16 disposals) also kicked two goals.

Franklin may have a case to answer after making high contact on Collins in the final quarter.

Horne-Francis stars as Power blitz Lions

Port Adelaide's pair of prized recruits have made instant impacts in a 54-point belting of the Brisbane Lions.

Jason Horne-Francis was best-afield and Junior Rioli slotted three goals in the Power's resounding 18.18 (126) to 11.6 (72) triumph at Adelaide Oval.

Horne-Francis was superb with his 25 disposals featuring 10 inside 50s, 11 score involvements and a goal - and he sparked a match-winning Power surge in the third term.

After trailing by 10 points at half-time, Port booted eight goals to one in a decisive third quarter.

Horne-Francis, the 2021 No.1 draft pick who walked out on North Melbourne after one season, ran rampant in the onslaught with a dozen touches, five inside 50s and three clearances for the term.

And ex-Eagle Rioli was an ever-present threat to the lacklustre Lions, who were well served by their own key signing, former Bulldog Josh Dunkley.

Dunkley gathered 19 disposals and seven clearances, veteran Daniel Rich was most influential with 26 touches while Lachie Neale was relatively subdued with 20 possessions.

Brisbane were collectively overwhelmed after making the early running in a dominant second stanza punctuated by Port's Charlie Dixon blowing up.

An abusive Dixon gave away consecutive 50m penalties when penalised for a high tackle on Rich and the Lion goaled — the first of six majors as the visitors' crafted an 18-point lead.

Dixon paid off some of his debt with a goal after the half-time siren to leave the Power 12 points down.

And Horne-Francis then took the spotlight with his third-term feats as the Lions wilted.

Port's tall forwards Todd Marshall (four goals) and Dixon (3.3) complemented Rioli's eye-catching haul which featured a spectacular high mark.

Brownlow medallist Ollie Wines (29 disposals) and Zak Butters (24 touches) helped Horne-Francis rule the midfield while backmen Ryan Burton (24) and Darcy Byrne-Jones (27) were prolific ball-winners.

Brisbane's hyped debutant Will Ashcroft, last year's top draft pick, snapped a classy goal among his 13 touches.

And ex-Hawk Jack Gunston and Zac Bailey scored two goals apiece on a well-held Lions forward line.

Roos start Clarkson era with tight win over Eagles

North Melbourne have hung on for a dramatic five-point victory over West Coast to kick off the Alastair Clarkson era in winning fashion and set off early alarm bells for the Eagles.

Last season's wooden-spooners seized control of Saturday afternoon's clash with an unanswered six-goal burst in the first half and withstood a late Eagles surge to seal a 12.15 (87) to 12.10 (82) win in front of 21,274 fans at Docklands Stadium.

Spearhead Nick Larkey booted six goals while midfield bull Luke Davies-Uniacke (32 disposals, 11 clearances) set the tone around the ground.

Number three draft pick Harry Sheezel (34 disposals) impressed off half-back while recruit Griffin Logue and veteran Jack Ziebell marshalled the Kangaroos' defence admirably.

Makeshift ruck duo Hugh Greenwood and Charlie Comben battled manfully in the ruck against Bailey Williams after Tristan Xerri was substituted out with an ankle injury late in the first quarter.

The Eagles left themselves with plenty of work to do after a dire first half during which they lacked impetus around the contest, moved the ball slowly and at times looked scattered when the Kangaroos surged forward.

Were it not for key defensive duo Jeremy McGovern and Tom Barrass, the situation could have been far worse.

The pair somewhat limited the damage down back while Liam Ryan (three goals), Luke Shuey (27 disposals) and Dom Sheed (25 touches) were crucial to their third-quarter resurgence.

Larkey booted the game's first goal but it was the Eagles who took the early ascendancy, with Jack Darling threading a wonderful goal from the boundary to give West Coast a 12-point lead.

But it only seemed to spur the Kangaroos on and they booted the next six goals, with only North's inefficiency around goal, plus McGovern and Barrass, keeping the lacklustre Eagles in the game.

West Coast trailed by 21 at the main break and the Kangaroos then booted the first two goals of the third quarter to take a 33-point lead.

It sparked the Eagles into action and they kicked three of the next four goals to cut the three-quarter time deficit to just 15 points, before adding the first of the final quarter.

Cam Zurhaar's second goal and Larkey's sixth steadied the ship midway through the last term but the Eagles would not go away.

Ryan and Noah Long struck in quick succession before skipper Shuey won a high free kick to cut the deficit to three points.

Curtis Taylor spurned a late chance to ice the game but the Kangaroos held on.

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