While it may be too early in the season to make any concrete predictions, it has been interesting to see how the expansion teams have influenced the 2020 season.

Unsurprisingly, the Saints, Richmond and West Coast have struggled to match the chemistry and skill displayed by their more experienced rivals and are lagging in their respective conferences.

Gold Coast Suns, however, have demonstrated their determination to prove that their inclusion in the league has been worthwhile, sitting third in Conference A by a 32% margin.

The round stats make it pretty clear that the expansion teams do have some catching up to do, as their collective tallies for disposals and tackles sit well below the averages of the older teams.

These disparities have definitely made themselves known on the score cards of the games we’ve seen thus far.

There was general improvement between Rounds 1 and 2 though, which should be the focal point, as it could indicate the beginning of a trend that sees the expansion teams settle into the 2020 season and make themselves at home.