IT WAS a round of celebration, with 176 women making their debut as AFL players and more than 50,000 attending the historic matches. Footy was back. Television ratings were impressive, and the extensive media coverage underlined the significance of the occasion.

But for all the positives, there was one aspect of the opening round of the NAB AFL Women’s competition doubters locked on to – the low scoring generally and the measly output from the losing sides.

External expectations for the fledgling eight-club competition were sky-high following the excellent skills shown in the all-stars exhibition match last September. It was a match played in a free-flowing manner, allowing highly skilled players to shine, yielding 21 goals and making household names of a number of key players now acting as faces of the new clubs.

But with the elite players now split across eight teams – and many spots on lists filled by inexperienced types and athletes from other sports – the actual standard of the first round of genuine competition was much lower than the September clash. Remember, squads were only finalised in October, players must juggle studies or full-time work and training regimes are nowhere near those of professional players.

The four losing teams scored only one goal each. Granted, the Adelaide-Greater Western Sydney match in Adelaide on Saturday afternoon was played in steady rain, and the downpour at Casey Fields on Sunday was so intense Melbourne and Brisbane Lions players sometimes appeared to be swimming rather than running. But inclement weather is part of football. Up until now, the women have played their local league matches in winter, and should be used to such conditions.

It wasn't like the losing teams didn't have their chances, either. Melbourne had 11 more inside-50s than the Lions, the Magpies topped the inside-50 count against Carlton by two, and the Giants had only two fewer forward entries than the Crows.

Not surprisingly, some coaches were quick to defend their players. Collingwood's Wayne Siekman opened his post-match media conference by making a statement, reminding us the players were the first to compete at AFLW level and patience was needed. The standard would naturally improve over time, he said

The Bulldogs' Paul Groves had a similar sentiment.

"We've just got to let it play out. It's going to be a completely different-looking game style once these girls play more and more footy at this level," Groves said.

Generally, the marquee players stood out like a sore thumb. Adelaide's Chelsea Randall (16 disposals) and Kellie Gibson (one goal) seemed to glide away from their Giants opponents at will.

The Giants were missing both marquee players, Emma Swanson (a late withdrawal with a minor hamstring strain) and Renee Forth (recovering from a knee reconstruction and out for the season), and it showed. Both clubs also had one player each unavailable due to W-League duties – Crow Jenna McCormick and Giant Ellie Brush lined up for Canberra United in their semi-final loss to Melbourne City.

It was a different story for Collingwood, with Moana Hope having a poor night by her lofty standards. The Hope hype had been building since her six-goal haul in the September all-stars game when she represented the Bulldogs, and a 104-goal season for St Kilda in the VFL Women's competition. Fans were expecting plenty from the Magpie marquee, but she was well held by Carlton’s Laura Attard, finishing with just four disposals and one behind.

Hope wasn't helped by poor delivery inside 50 and the fact multiple Blues defenders regularly peeled off their players to float in front, taking intercept marks. The few times the ball came in over the top, Hope looked dangerous, but the Magpies did not use the tactic nearly enough. If Collingwood wants to make the top two – as Siekman flagged last week – they need to either lower their eyes and use other targets, or deliver the ball more effectively to their star.

The stars

Darcy Vescio's smooth skills were on show on the wide expanses of Ikon Park on Friday night. She's got pace to burn, and was clean when finishing off her teammates' work, kicking four goals including a spectacular effort out of a ruck contest in the goalsquare in the first quarter. She impressed off-field as well, answering questions in the media conference in a self-assured manner, giving well thought-out, genuine answers. Her fellow marquee Brianna Davey deserves an honourable mention, patrolling the backline like a general, amassing 26 disposals and kicking a goal.

We hadn’t seen much of Erin Phillips before Saturday, but she made us take notice. The Adelaide forward has represented Australia in basketball since 2005, and currently plays for Dallas in the WNBA.

Despite previously playing footy only at junior level, the 31-year-old was named co-captain of the Crows, and proved why on the weekend. Phillips ran rampant in the forward 50, finally kicking her first goal after three behinds, and finished with three majors for the match. She was also on the wrong end of a fierce coat-hanger tackle, but was calm enough to slot the resulting free kick for a goal.

Thunder and lightning; very, very frightening

The Brisbane Lions brought Queensland-style tropical weather to Casey in Melbourne’s outer south-east, with their match with Melbourne was interrupted by lightning strikes. The teams were called off the ground with three minutes remaining in the second quarter, and took an early half-time break. The extra minutes were played before the start of the third quarter, with the teams having a minute to swap ends, before continuing as normal.

Bulldogs premiership favourites?

Two teams tipped to finish at the top end of the ladder, the Western Bulldogs and Fremantle, faced off on Saturday night at Whitten Oval. It was a close first half, with both sides wasting opportunities in front of goal.

However, the Bulldogs came out after half-time with sharper skills and a stronger work-rate, hassling the Dockers and trapping the ball in their forward-50. It's too early to call an overall winner, but the Bulldogs have definitely put their stamp on the competition.