The Lions were on the back foot just five minutes into the match when they lost key ruckman, Rayne Salmon to injury. With Salmon going down Shannon Notting and Matt Bourke tried to fill the void, however the home side's structure was clearly affected.

Coach Joe Carmody said he was pleased with the Bulldogs' opening quarter, which saw them lead by 21 points, although the visitors did let Great Western back into the game during the second term.

"They really stepped it up in the second quarter," he said.

"They led us around the stoppages and had 10 or more inside-50s than us, so we were a bit lucky to be in front at halftime."

Rovers improved an 11-point halftime lead to five goals by the final change, thanks largely to the work of captain Nic Byrne off the half-back flank and Ross Thompson and Jahn Knight in the centre.

"Nic's poise back there was really good and he went third man up a number of times which helped us out. Also, he hit a lot of targets when he got the footy himself," Carmody said.

"Ross' running and stoppage work was fantastic, as was Jahn Knight in and under."

The Lions were run off their feet for the last quarter as the Bulldogs kicked five unanswered goals to win 17.13 (115) to Great Western's 7.9 (51).

It wasn't the start new coach Andrew Bach was hoping for.

"They came to play and as soon as we were behind we dropped our heads and got frustrated," Bach said.

"When we played high pressure football we looked good too, but we could only do it in dribs and drabs.

"At three quarter time I asked them to follow simple instructions and they couldn't. That is something I will address one-on-one with each player over the next week.

"We are all disappointed with how we finished, there were times we played some good football, but our decision making let us down.

"Credit to SM&W Rovers though because they played a pretty good brand of football."

Tom McCord put in a solid four quarter effort to be the best for the Lions, while Aaron Williams also impressed on debut for the club and combined well with Ben Hustler and Nick Thomas.

Carmody said after reviewing the match, there were plenty of positives for his team to take away.

"I thought in the second half our defensive running was really good and that's what we've worked on over the pre-season," he said.

"We ran back defensively and spread when we won the footy, so that allowed us to get on the end of a few easier goals.

"I also thought our decision making under pressure was pretty good. Previously against good teams when we have been put under pressure sometimes we'd panic and cough it, but on Saturday we were much more composed."

The only injury concern for Rovers is Byrne who had a sore spot in his knee post-game, but Carmody is hopeful the defender will be available for round two selection.

Moyston/Willaura put in an emphatic display as it began its premiership defence, with the Pumas claiming a comprehensive 205-point win against the Ararat Eagles.

The 2014 champions raced away to a 45-point lead by quarter time, with last year's leading goal kickers Lachie Hamilton and Aidan Bell picking up from where they left off.

The margin blew out to a massive 99 points at the long break, with ruckman Josh Bywater dominating the stoppages and giving the onballers first use.

Eagles’ young guns Naish McRoberts and Freddy Stokes battled hard in the second half of the match and were well supported by the experienced Justin Coole, but the day didn’t get any easier as Moyston/Willaura continued to pile on the goals.

The third quarter was the reigning premiers’ most damaging, with Adam Taylor, Luke Walker and Owen Phillips helping the side notch up 11 majors to the Eagles’ two.

Hamilton (10) and Bell (8) contributed almost half the Pumas’ score in the 37.14 (236) to 4.7 (31) victory.

Tatyoon sent a message to the rest of the competition in the form of a 67-point thumping against Hawkesdale/Macarthur — a team that has been touted as a premiership contender.

The Hawks were on song from the opening bounce, holding the Southern Eagles scoreless in the first term while kicking seven goals of their own.

The home side reduced the buffer by halftime, however Tatyoon came back out after the break fired up and kicked six goals to one to all but seal the result by three quarter time.

The two players new coach Damian Cameron told The Ararat Advertiser last week he expected to be big performers in 2015 — Mitch Cronin and John Butler — justified that praise by being named Tatyoon’s best in the win.

Steven Butler was the leading scorer with five goals, while Richard Tucker and Brodie Mines each bagged three.

In what was a hotly contested affair, home side Glenthompson/Dunkeld held off a resurgent Wickliffe/Lake Bolac line-up to open its account with a win.

The Magpies kicked three goals straight in the first quarter to take a steady lead at the break, but were held scoreless in the second term as the Rams swung the scoreboard in their favour by 10 points at halftime.

Jock Cameron led the charge for the visitors, with Wickliffe/Lake Bolac coach Chris Hilet and Tom Gibson also contributing as the match turned into a shootout during the premiership quarter.

The Magpies faced a 16-point deficit heading into the final term and despite outscoring the opposition 3.1 to 2.4, were unable to close the gap.

Michael Otto, Brad Keilar and Lachie Kelly rounded out the Magpies’ top six performers.

In other matches Woorndoo/Mortlake put in one of its most competitive games in many years, going down to Caramut by just 19 points, while Lismore/Derrinallum defeated Penshurst by 16 points.