It turns out we didn't have to worry at all.

There was retribution in a grand final re-match. Melton prevailed in a cross-town rivalry, and the Swans got the monkey off their back.

Round one was a ripper.

But, do the numbers support this assertion? The short answer - yes.

IN OTHER NEWS:

The average winning margin in round one of the 2021 season was 32 points - bolstered by Melton's 69-point rout against Melton South.

By winning margins alone, it was the most even start to the season since 2017, when the average deficit was three goals, helped by a draw between East Point and Ballarat.

The average winning margin from this season's opening round was also lower than the 10-season average, 35.54.

If there was one minor, yet somewhat irrelevant, knock on last weekend, it's that it didn't provide the goal-fest some supporters would have been waiting for after so long away from the sidelines.

The average team score to start this season was 76.6.

Melton's 16.17 (113) was the highest score of the round, dwarfing Bacchus Marsh's 5.10 (40), which was the lowest.

The 2021 average is the third-lowest of the decade, beating 2011's 64 and 2016's 72.5.

It is also slightly below the 10-season average of 79.36.

Last weekend's games also delivered records for some clubs. A couple wanted, and maybe one to forget.

North Ballarat opened its campaign with a win for the ninth season in a row.

On the other side, Redan sunk to its fifth-straight round one loss.

Importantly, for Ballarat, the 26-point win against Bacchus Marsh was the first time the club had kicked its season off on the right note since 2016. Only four times in the past 10 seasons have the Swans won in round one.

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