| If | you have a look at the AFL goalkicking records ... | then | ... you'll notice that on Saturday at Blundstone Arena, Eddie Betts will almost certainly become just the 55th person to boot 500 big ones. Will be top 30 by the time he's finished. |
| If | you've missed a lot of footy in the previous two seasons ... | then | ... a quad complaint six games in to 2017 is far from ideal. Hoping Beams can manage this latest setback. |
| If | you can ignore the rainy forecast ... | then | ... there's no reason for a Blues supporter not to be at the MCG this Saturday. The most traditional footy timeslot. The most traditional rival. Get there. |
| If | there's one AFL thing for which we have a soft spot ... | then | ... it's a naturally inclined bad boy making good. De Goey gets his chance on Saturday at the MCG. |
| If | you're Jobe Watson and you're being rested for a match in Perth after just six games of the season ... | then | ... we'd suggest the best form of pick-me-up would be to travel with the team anyway, grab a convertible at the Avis desk and head down the highway to Margaret River for 24, maybe 48 hours of wining, dining, swimming. |
Jobe Watson needs a few days at Margaret River to lift his spirits. Picture: AFL Photos
| If | Cam McCarthy can produce such solid form after 18 months of personal upheaval and no footy ... | then | ... we can only imagine how good he will be this time next year. And the year after. |
| If | Joel Selwood wants to express a little bit of anger and frustration after a well-below par performance ... | then | ... so be it. He's wired to hate being beaten personally, wired even tighter to hate being part of a losing team. In a world of image conscious robots, we loved the realness of last Sunday. |
| If | May, Swallow and Kolodjashnij are back in ... | then | ... the Suns are a chance at home against the Cats, despite the odds. Now they just need Thompson and Hanley. |
| If | Greene and Haynes are big outs for tonight's match ... | then | ... Coniglio and Davis are equally big as the ins. Extraordinary, never-before-seen, AFL team depth. |
The Coniglio/Kelly show is back for the Giants this Friday night. Picture: AFL Photos
| If | there's a game we're really looking forward to in round seven ... | then | ... it's this club's clash against Jordan Lewis' Dees. Sledging will be taken to Steve Waugh levels. Hope those on-ground mikes are carrying fresh batteries. |
| If | Petracca maintains his form and Hogan regains his ... | then | ... look out Hawks. If that happens, the catastrophic change WILL occur next week. |
| If | the Roos get within seven goals of the Crows ... | then | ... that's a pass this weekend. |
| If | the Power are to return to their 2014 highs ... | then | ... they will need to do a number at home on the Eagles. With Boak back in, we reckon they will. |
With Travis Boak their enforcer back, the Power could hurt the Eagles. Picture: AFL Photos
| If | you want us to ignore last week's post-first quarter output of five scoring shots to 30 against the Crows ... | then | ... you'll need to be competitive for a whole lot longer this week against the Dogs. Come on, we nearly waved the credit card over the paypass machine to buy a ticket on the bandwagon. |
| If | there was a more perfect stage for Jack Steele to properly introduce himself to St Kilda life ... | then | ... we can't think of it. Loving the way he's going about matters in his short time at his new club. Tonight, Friday night footy, against his old team, he will be crucial if the Saints are to win. |
| If | we had a certainty last week ... | then | ... it was the Swans to beat Carlton. Ouch. And our learning out of that loss is that they're no certainties this week either, despite the Winx-like odds bookies are putting up. |
| If | Nic Nat can get himself back by round 21 ... | then | we'll abandon our harsh views of the 'Flat Trackers' and rank them a serious flag threat in a season which is clearly there for the taking for the team which gets things right at the right time. |
Could we see this pair dominating for the Eagles come finals? Picture: AFL Photos
| If | it was good enough for Eddie to get the Magpies into Versace suits back in the early 2000s ... | then | ... it is more than OK for Peter Gordon to deliver Mercedes to the Dogs in 2017. The official RIP of VFL/AFL stereotypes.. |
And by popular request ...
| If | you keep creating game rules and interpretations to patch up other rules and interpretations which were introduced to cover other rules and interpretations ... | then | ... it's inevitable you'll get mass confusion and frustration from players and fans. It actually doesn't have to be this mind-bogglingly baffling on a game-by-game basis. |
AFL Exchange, bite-sized: Is it time for a 'last possession' rule?
In this extract from round seven's podcast, Essendon's James Kelly joins Matt Thompson and Peter Ryan to discuss whether it's time to bring in the 'last possession' rule.
Listen on: You can click here to find the full AFL Exchange podcast or subscribe via iTunes
Want more?
• Your views on the 'last touch' rule
• Friday quiz: How are Richmond's two Ivans connected?
Follow Damian Barrett on Twitter: @barrettdamian
