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Twitter reacts to the opening game of the 2017 AFL season

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AFL Twitter chat

THERE’S nothing like the hope, excitement and optimism of a new AFL season.

Before a ball has been kicked in anger, before the first roar of the crowd, before the first soul-sapping disappointment and hair-pulling frustration – it’s a wonderful time of the year.

While the AFL didn’t kick off its new season with its best – or even average – clubs on centre stage, the country was just happy to see the MCG in its prime, hosting football again.

Carlton and Richmond – two clubs most pundits agree will fill in the bottom half of the ladder in 2017 – duked it out in front of 73,000-plus fans and it was the Tigers who came up trumps, escaping a first round disaster thanks to a powerful display from new Brownlow Medal hype machine, Dustin Martin.

BettingSite.com.au let’s the Twitter world tell the story of the AFL’s return.

We start with the anticipation and the pure joy from footy people, going back to the mecca – where the AFL season starts and ends – the MCG.

While Carlton were able to stay in the contest for large parts of the game, the chasm in talent became too wide and Richmond blew the young Blues out in the final term, winning by 43 points, 20.12 (132) to 14.5 (89).

The win would have come as an enormous relief to the Tigers, who went into the match as overwhelming favourite.

The hero of the hour was Dustin Martin, who compiled 33 disposals, four goals and one 76-metre torpedo that brought back memories of the sensational 70’s.

After his dominant display, Martin’s Brownlow odds plummeted from $14 to $8 at Crownbet.com.au.

The Twitter love for the tattoo’d Tiger who’s known to be overly-aggressive with chopsticks was enormous.

Where there’s a hero, there has to be a villain.

Unfortunately for Carlton, it was the alarmingly-well-paid Dale Thomas.

Thomas, entering the final year of his four-year contract with Carlton, came under fire from Blues fans who feel they haven’t quite got value from the former Collingwood premiership player.

His 17-disposal game attracted a new level of frustration from Carlton fans who are already worried about the 28-year-old activating a fifth year to stay at the club on big money again next season.

And we introduce to you, new Richmond social media hero, Jason Castagna.

Get used to a lifetime supply of George Costanza Seinfeld memes over the next 20 or so weeks.

Now, it wouldn’t be a Richmond round 1 victory without fans getting ahead of themselves.

We’ve compiled our favourite takedowns after the match.

To finish off, we ask the question:

What’s better than playing well in front of a big crowd in an important round 1 victory?

Getting that Powerade bottle to glide like a magician.

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