Essendon will welcome back their banned stars with a blockbuster clash against Hawthorn in round one of the 2017 AFL season.The Bombers and Hawks will face off on a Saturday night at the MCG in one of three primetime games at the home of football in the opening round.Traditional heavyweights Carlton and Richmond will kick off the season at the MCG on Thursday March 23, while Collingwood will host reigning premiers the Western Bulldogs on the Friday night.It will be the first opportunity for the likes of Jobe Watson, Dyson Heppell, Cale Hooker and Michael Hurley to line up for Essendon after being handed 12-month suspensions by the Court of Arbitration for Sport over doping offences.Its going to be a massive crowd and an important night for our football club, Bombers chief executive Xavier Campbell told the Essendon website.This really is another step in our comeback as a football club and an important milestone for our players and fans as we look to move on from the issues of the past.The Bombers have 10 banned players who will press their case for selection in round one, while another six - including Port Adelaides Paddy Ryder and Angus Monfries - have joined other teams.Hawthorn will line up for the first time without star veterans Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis, who have been traded to West Coast and Melbourne respectively.Star recruit Jaeger OMeara is likely to play for the Hawks in his first AFL game since late-2014, alongside former Sydney onballer Tom Mitchell.The Swans will host Port Adelaide at the SCG on Saturday afternoon, West Coast travel to Etihad Stadium to take on North Melbourne and Brisbanes Chris Fagan will make his coaching debut against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.Adelaide will take on preliminary finalists Greater Western Sydney in a Sunday afternoon clash at Adelaide Oval, while St Kilda face Melbourne at Etihad Stadium and Fremantle host Geelong.The AFL will release the full 2017 fixture on Thursday.THE AFLS 2017 ROUND ONE FIXTURETHURSDAY MARCH 23Carlton v Richmond, MCGFRIDAY MARCH 24Collingwood v Western Bulldogs, MCGSATURDAY MARCH 25Sydney Swans v Port Adelaide, SCGNorth Melbourne v West Coast, Etihad StadiumGold Coast v Brisbane Lions, Metricon StadiumEssendon v Hawthorn, MCGSUNDAY MARCH 26Adelaide v Greater Western Sydney, Adelaide OvalSt Kilda v Melbourne, Etihad StadiumFremantle v Geelong, Domain Stadium Cheap Hydro Flask Water Bottle . 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He scored a match-saving hundred in only his second Test, did not look troubled by any of Indias bowlers during the innings, and while he did not make any other scores of note, his batting always looked Test-quality. Chases height and accuracy made his offspin hard to score off, particularly during Indias first innings in St Lucia, and he comfortably outperformed Devendra Bishoo through the series.6Shannon Gabriel (5 wickets at 46.00)His figures do not reflect it, but Gabriel was West Indies most consistently threatening bowler through the series. In Antigua, where he was their only real fast bowler, the match looked like an even contest whenever he bowled, and like a stroll in the park for India whenever he was out of the attack. Gabriel was unlucky to only take two wickets there, and remained an unlucky bowler through the series, consistently beating the bat without finding the edge, and seeing catches go down when he found them. He could have bowled more overs than he did, but West Indies were probably doing the pragmatic thing by using him mainly in short spells, given his injury record.Shane Dowrich (168 runs at 33.60, six catches and one stumping)Dowrich began the series with a costly drop in Antigua, putting down R Ashwin, who went on to score 113, when he was on 43. Dowrich was otherwise safe behind the stumps, and his spectacular dives kept West Indies down to 22 byes through the series even though a lot of balls swung belatedly and extravagantly, just before reaching him. His batting was a big positive for his side - neat, busy, his hands always soft while defending the spinners. By the end of the series, few were missing Denesh Ramdin, who had been left out in controversial circumstances.5Kraigg Brathwaite (200 runs at 33.33)Scored more runs and faced more balls than any other West Indies batsman, but somehow seemed to have regressed since a strong showing during the 2015-16 tour of Australia. One reason for this was the conditions, which were more challenging than the flat Australian pitches on which Brathwaite made 229 runs, at 45.80. Seam movement exposed some of the flaws in Brathwaites technique, such as a limited front-foot stride and a tendency to play across the line even while offering a straight bat. Though he made two half-centuries and largely showed good judgment outside off stump, there was never a moment where India seemed to wonder how they could get him out. That cannot be a good thing for a largely defensive batsman.Jason Holder (132 runs at 26.40, 1 wicket at 239)Bowled better than his figures would suggest, and was willing to plug away on a fifth-stump line and bowl long spells. Looked better with the bat than his series average might suggest, and played an important innings to help West Indies save the Sabina Park Test. But numbers, at the end of the day, win and lose matches, and Holder needs to improve them, whether he is a bowling allrounder still to realise his potential or a batting allrounder doing the wrong job. That he also happens to be West Indies captain casts an even harsher light on his performances. Tactically, he seemed to retreat into defence far quicker than he probably should have, and failed to seize a few vital moments, whether it was delays in taking the second new ball, or not using his best bowlers at the start of new sessions or against new batsmen.Miguel Cummins (9 wickets at 21.00)Waited 280 balls before getting his first Test wicket, and then took nine in his next 76 to finish his debut series as West Indies highest wicket-taker. He bowled better than his first 280 balls would suggest, giving KL Rahul and Ajinkya Rahane a testing time with the short ball in the first innings in St Lucia, but not quite as well as the next 76 would suggest, with six of his wickets coming when India were trying to score quickly and declare in their second innings. Either way, he shoulld have played the first Test and given West Indies at least one more attacking pace option.ddddddddddddAlzarri Joseph (3 wickets at 30.66)Gangly, fast, exciting. Nineteen years old. A nasty short ball to Virat Kohli to get his first Test wicket. Joseph showed plenty of promise in his debut Test, and was possibly West Indies best bowler in the first innings in St Lucia. He was left out for a second spinner in Port of Spain, but should feature regularly for the Test side in the months to come.4Carlos Brathwaite (no wicket in 25 overs, 51 runs at 51.00)Played the first Test as one of two medium-fast workhorses in a bowling attack light on attacking threat, and while he did his job as well as he could, the composition of the attack simply did not work, and Carlos did not get another opportunity. Scored a half-century in the second innings in Antigua, his third in three Test matches, and, like Holder, seemed a man with a skillset at odds with his role. Brathwaite ended the series as West Indies T20 captain, and with a greater focus on the shorter formats, it remains to be seen where his Test career is headed. Jermaine Blackwood (146 runs at 24.33)Blackwood has played 19 Tests and only two ODIs, the last of them in November 2015, and is yet to make his international T20 debut. He has played as many Tests as T20s at any level. West Indies, effectively, have invested in him as a long-format player, but you wouldnt think so when you watch him bat. He drives on the up, hits over the top, and doesnt really hold back even when the ball is moving around. When it comes off, as it did in both innings in Jamaica, it can be spectacular, if brief. When it doesnt, its just hard to justify. Blackwood has lots of potential, but are West Indies giving him the best possible guidance?3Darren Bravo (139 runs at 19.85)Like Kraigg Brathwaite, Bravo failed to build on a productive Australia tour, and ended the series with his Test average dipping below 40. Along the way, he showed himself vulnerable against well-directed short balls, and his failures were a big reason for West Indies top-order collapses in the first two Tests. He improved as the series went on, grinding out tough runs in the first innings in St Lucia and scoring 59 while everyone else crumbled around him in the second, and should hopefully be in better nick when West Indies tour the UAE. He will be buoyed by the fact that his away average - 51.18 - far outstrips his home average - 29.35.Devendra Bishoo (4 wickets at 67.50)A disappointing series on pitches that usually had something in them for the spinners. Bishoos legspin was unthreatening for most part, and often just all over the place, with his lowest point coming in the first innings in Kingston, where he kept serving up short balls. If he keeps his place, he will need to be far more accurate when West Indies tour the UAE, where the pitches are slower, lower, and offer less turn.Marlon Samuels (152 runs at 25.33)Was this Marlon Samuels last Test series? Given the retirement talk swirling around, it could well be. Given how he batted, it could still be, even if he has no intention to retire. In his younger days, he was a lavishly talented batsman who did not make the most of his potential. Now his game seems to have regressed to the point where, even when he does score runs, he seems to be playing around limitations of footwork and eye. In the second innings in St Lucia, he seemed to have ceased even doing that, and played a series of limited-overs shots before eventually getting out to one.2Rajendra Chandrika (53 runs at 13.25) and Leon Johnson (32 runs at 10.66)Two Guyanese batsmen. One an opener with a first-class average in the mid-20s, the other a middle-order batsman played out of position as an opener. West Indies jettisoned Chandrika after the first two Tests and tried Johnson in the next two. Neither seemed a long-term solution to their top-order troubles. ' ' '