THE 2023 Toyota AFL Premiership season is over, but never fear, Damian Barrett's Sliding Doors is still going full steam ahead.
So put your seatbelt on and enjoy the ride as Damo takes off the gloves and takes aim at your team.
So what is he saying about your club? What's he saying about the AFL? You can't say that, Damo, can you? Check it out below.
>> CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BARRETT
IF ...
the Crows succeed with Project Petty before Wednesday's trade deadline ...
THEN ...
finals, here we come. Contracted Demon Harrison Petty a season changer.
IF ..
Dunkley and McKenna were significant ins this time last year ...
THEN ...
the acquisition of Tom Doedee is equally astute recruiting in 2023. A club which realises that established high-end talent must be added every season.
IF ...
Elijah Hollands, pick No.7 in the 2020 draft, would be a nice addition for the 2024 list ...
THEN ...
the Blues shouldn't stop there. Realise the salary cap is bursting, but organic growth only takes clubs so far.
IF ...
the party line to this point has been that Jack Ginnivan is contracted for 2024 and has no intention of exploring other options ...
THEN ...
the unofficial one casts doubt over his long-term standing in the Pies' forward line after the Lachie Schultz pursuit. Expect Ginnivan's name to be raised by several clubs before next Wednesday.
IF ...
this is Adrian Dodoro's final trade period in charge of the Bombers ...
THEN ...
watch him, between now and Wednesday, blow up several potential deals one last time.
IF ...
Lachie Neale, Adam Cerra, Jesse Hogan, Bradley Hill, Blake Acres, Rory Lobb, Ed Langdon and Griffin Logue were still Dockers-listed ...
THEN ...
season 2024 would be presenting as a very exciting one. A lot of very good players have demanded exits from this club, Lachie Schultz the latest in a damning trend.
IF ...
Adrian Dodoro at Essendon will no doubt complicate dealings with Port Adelaide over the departing Brandon Zerk-Thatcher and potentially incoming Xavier Duursma ...
THEN ...
his Cats counterpart Andrew Mackie may swoop in attempting to include Duursma as part of the Esava Ratugolea deal.
IF ...
a heap of young guns are coming to the Suns via their Academy in the next two drafts to further bolster finals prospects in coming seasons ...
THEN ...
a big new deal still needs to be issued to Ben King. Out of contract at the end of next year.
IF ...
Harley Reid is all the rage to be the No.1 draft pick this year ...
THEN ...
what a luxury for the Giants via last year’s No.1. He was almost forgotten, Aaron Cadman, while the Giants surged to a preliminary final this year. But off Broadway, he has been building beautifully.
IF ...
Mabior Chol has been identified as the player to support Mitch Lewis in the Hawks' forward line ...
THEN ...
I'm far from convinced he is an upgrade on the one they've phased out and are now actively letting go, Jacob Koschitzke.
IF ...
it was a footy story last week which had Clayton Oliver in the headlines ...
THEN ...
it was a medical one this week. Really hope Oliver can use the off-season to re-set his football and personal lives so that in 2024 he gets the opportunity to resume a career which is already one of the greatest ever compiled by a Demons player.
IF ...
it was the Bulldogs last week in carrying on as though they'd won the flag after the re-contracting of Aaron Naughton ...
THEN ...
it's been the Roos this week, on the back of getting AFL-granted pick No.3 in the draft for losing Ben McKay as a free agent, after redistributing AFL-granted 2024 first-round draft picks. Now need to somehow find a key back before round one.
IF ...
Jordon Sweet has been identified as a trade target ...
THEN ...
the Bulldogs still haven't given up on retaining him. With the Esava Ratugolea and Brandon Zerk-Thatcher deals taking precedence, the Sweet one already has been and will likely continue to be protracted.
IF ...
the Tigers have been quiet in the trade period ...
THEN ...
they're comforted by the fact that they will have one of the biggest 2024 'recruits' anyway. Tom Lynch, who didn't play after round four this year and is still recovering from a serious foot injury, instantly elevates this team into a finals possibility.
IF ...
North did it with McKay ...
THEN ...
the Saints have been doing it with Gresham – threatening to match a free agency offer as a brokering tool for compensation. It is not their preferred option, as the decision has been made to get him off the books.
IF ...
the Swans have been impressively active in the trade period in securing Grundy, Adams, Hamling and Jordon ...
THEN ...
securing a fresh signature from the already listed Logan McDonald now looms as the next big project. Others see it differently, but for a 21-year-old key position prospect with just three seasons behind him, I reckon he’s tracking beautifully toward status as a competition-wide star.
IF ...
there has been little reason to be excited about anything associated with the Eagles in the past two years ...
THEN ...
there is right now. Genuine intrigue is attached to their No.1 draft pick. Will they keep it? Will they use it on Harley Reid? A history-shaping six weeks lies ahead.
IF ...
the Swans’ interest in Naughton forced the Dogs to act immediately to retain Naughton ...
THEN ...
it also created a bigger problem in leaving less cap space for Ugle-Hagan, Smith and English. I still expect clubs to come hard for Smith, again, before Wednesday’s trade deadline.
AND THIS ONE'S FOR THE AFL
IF ...
the player exchange and national draft periods were designed to be "pure" and free of administrational hindrance ...
THEN ...
the opposite has unfolded. Clubs somehow think they have a right to "demand" high compensation for loss of free agents, evidenced this week with North Melbourne and St Kilda. I'd be banning compo, as a starting point. First-round draft picks are gifted to struggling clubs (North recently got three). Clubs are way too easily able to swap draft picks for draft points to secure Academy players (Gold Coast in 2023) and father-son prospects. An immediate and thorough review needs to be conducted into all aspects of these operations.