Emerging GWS star erupts as Giants steamroll Pies in Opening Round

That’s where we’ll wrap things up tonight everyone!

Thank you for following along for our coverage of the AFL’s Opening Round.

After being teased with just two matches this weekend, we’ll have the full slate next week for Round 1.

ABC Sport will cover each of the nine matches live, so tune in then!

Here’s how the numbers looked for both teams after the final siren:

• Disposals: GWS 364-351
• Inside 50s: Collingwood 55-54
• Clearances: Collingwood 40-36
• Contested Possessions: Collingwood 138-118
• Marks: GWS 93-87
• Tackles: GWS 59-38

Here were your three leading ball-winners on the ground:

1. 1.Josh Kelly (GWS): 36 disposals, eight score involvements, five clearances
2. 2. Finn Callaghan (GWS): 33 disposals, 12 score involvements, seven clearances, two goals
3. 3.Josh Daicos (COLL): 28 disposals, six score involvements, 548m gained

Finn Callaghan can’t convert on a set shot after the siren, and that’s perhaps the only thing that hasn’t gone his way today.

The Giants send out a massive statement to the rest of the AFL by dispatching Collingwood to the tune of 52 points.

They were challenged briefly in the second quarter, but were absolutely dominant after the main break.

Callaghan arguably the best on ground with 33 disposals and two goals.

Incredible that this Giants side has the likes of Tom Green, Jesse Hogan and Jake Stringer to come back into it.

Max Gruzewski joining in on the party now with a lovely running finish tucked in on the boundary line from 40m out.

This is getting ugly for Collingwood now as the Giants are out to a 52-point lead with just under five minutes remaining.

Truth be told, it’s been a throttling in the second half from GWS.

They’ve kicked seven goals to two after half-time.

Yep, this is the Finn Callaghan coming out party for sure.

Once again they cruise off halfback with a chain of handballs that ends up with Callaghan who runs onto a handball from Callan Ward.

Callaghan, who is a lovely left-footed kick, drills it on the run from 55m and then he too cramps while celebrating.

Have a look at this statline from the 21-year-old: 31 disposals, 11 score involvements, six clearances, six inside 50s and two goals.

Just a MONSTER, monster game.

Jamie Elliott gets a consolation goal after a lovely little snap on the left boot from the pocket.

However, the bigger news for Collingwood is that Bobby Hill has come off the ground looking fairly distressed.

Hill, like Daicos, has looked laboured out there over the last hour of play and his having his legs worked on by the physios.

James Leake gets the first goal of his career after nailing a set shot!

The Giants have some high hopes for this young man, and this is a moment he will not forget any time soon.

His loved ones are in the crowd and go absolutely nuts as Giants players mob the first-gamer.

Oh this is an excellent team goal from the Giants.

The ball is tucked in on the boundary line on the wing and looks set to go out of bounds but a couple of Giants work inside a phone booth with some lovely handpasses and get into space and eventually go forward.

The ball ends up in the hands of Xavier O’Halloran who adds a third straight goal in this quarter.

This Giants team is going to be very, very hard to beat this year.

If the Daniels goal wasn’t the final nail in the coffin, I reckon this goal from Darcy Jones is it.

Jones snaps up another loose ball and kicks it on his left foot to give GWS a 34-point lead.

The Magpies look absolutely spent out there. They need to not let this margin blow out with percentage in mind.

Brent Daniels with a crucial goal for the Giants!

Toby Bedford strapped Ed Allan holding the ball after a stoppage inside the Giants’ forward 50 and the ball dribbles over to Daniels, who snaps it through.

The lead is out to 28 points, that might be the goal that kills off the Magpies.

Tim Membrey drills a set shot after a terrific lead and mark inside 50 and Collingwood has some life!

The margin is down to 20 points and there is still PLENTY of time.

Daicos stationed in Collingwood’s forward line at the moment, unable to really move around too freely.

He’s not the only player to be struggling with cramps either with Giants star Lachie Whitfield currently off the ground getting worked on.

The Giants take a 26-point lead into the final change, and it’s going to take something special for the Pies to climb out of this hole.

Both teams are looking extremely fatigued out there, no more more than Collingwood star Nick Daicos, who looks to be dealing with some severe cramps.

He’ll have to fight through it with Collingwood having already activated its sub to replace Will Hoskin-Elliott.

Daicos with just three disposals in that quarter, and has not had a major impact on this game at all.

Josh Kelly leads the way for the Giants with 28 disposals, while Finn Callaghan has 25 touches of his own in what has been an excellent outing.

Of course as soon as I posted about there being no goal there was a goal instantly.

Darcy Jones is the man who hits the scoreboard after breaking away from a stoppage on the wing.

Collingwood players looking absolutely out on their feet at the moment, and none of them were going to catch Jones.

Giants out to a game-high 25-point lead with under five minutes left in the quarter.

We’re still waiting on the first goal of the third quarter as these two TIRED teams go at it.

The good news is Nick Daicos is back out on the ground after having both legs worked on extensively by the physios.

Vision showed Daicos getting his right quad area worked on as well as his calves on both legs.

The Toby Bedford straightjacket is not a comfy wear for Nick Daicos at the moment.

The Collingwood star looks to be struggling with some sort of niggle in his lower body and isn’t quite moving freely.

We’ll keep an eye on it and let you know if there’s any further developments.

A trainer comes out and gives him some pickle juice, but Daicos continues to hobble around.

Eventually he comes off the ground and it looks like he’s getting his right quad worked on by the physios.

No goals so far in the third quarter with six minutes in the books so far.

We’re off and running in the third quarter.

What do the Magpies have in response to that GWS onslaught to end the first half?

A big match-up heading into today’s clash was meeting between Pies star Nick Daicos and Giants tagger Toby Bedford.

So far, the Giants have to be happy with how that match-up has gone.

Daicos has 17 disposals, so he’s getting plenty of the footy, but he’s gained just 65 metres with those touches and has been limited to three score involvements.

Basically, what those numbers mean is that he’s gotten a lot of the ball in close quarters and hasn’t been able to damage the Giants too much.

In comparison, Bedford has five score involvements and three inside 50s of his own to go along with nine touches, so he’s keeping Daicos accountable on the other end.