IN THIS week's Sliding Doors, made possible by ventraip australia, our chief football correspondent Damian Barrett puts the Crows, Bombers, Toby Greene, Alastair Clarkson and more in the Doors' spotlight.
What's Barrett saying about your club? What's he saying about the AFL? Check it out.
| If |
the past two seasons have been horrendous ... |
| then |
the 2019 Trade Period is about to make things worse. Keath, Betts, Jenkins out. At least one Crouch poised to follow, maybe two. Greenwood one step out the door. |
| If |
you want to be glass half full ... |
| then |
the two teams the Lions lost to in the finals are playing this Saturday. |
| If |
the Betts project becomes a necessity in the eyes of the new coach ... |
| then |
it can't be at any cost. Reality needs to meet emotion at some point. |
| If |
the heartbreak of the 2018 Grand Final never left the minds of Pies people in the 2019 pre-season ... |
| then |
add the shock and disappointment of the 2019 preliminary final to the 2020 pre-season, and it might just be insurmountable. |
| If | |
| then |
clearly, something is not right. |
| If |
Longmuir isn't officially named as coach by Tuesday ... |
| then |
I'll be surprised. |
| If |
initial thoughts revolved around Gaz not playing in 2020 ... |
| then |
subsequent ones are focusing on Jimmy Bartel's view: that Ablett even at 70 per cent of capacity is better than most, and that he should go around for a 19th season. |
| If |
the one-two picks in the NAB AFL National Draft are formally approved by the AFL on Monday as part of a list management rescue package ... |
| then |
the Suns need to say a big thank you and then, nine years after their AFL entry, commit to a Giants-style player welfare and recruitment strategy. |
Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell could be heading to the Suns. Picture: AFL Photos
| If |
Toby Greene is the old-school, occasionally trash-the-hotel rock star of this group ... |
| then |
Josh Kelly is the clean-cut lead singer of the boy band. And if the Tigers can't turn down their music on Saturday, the cup is heading back across the border. |
Find In the Game on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify
| If |
a private investigator was to follow Clarko in the next two weeks ... |
| then |
he'd be likely to be on a dozen flights, at least one of them requiring a passport, as he seeks – again – to wrench a key player out of his current club. |
| If |
you're keen on Jamie Elliott ... |
| then |
up the ante. He is rightfully exploring his options. |
| If | |
| then |
don't go silly. Yes, you need to land a fish, but not at any price. |
| If |
Sam Gray is at the Power in 2020 ... |
| then |
| If |
Marlion Pickett gets 30 disposals in the Grand Final or if he gets none ... |
| then |
regardless, it is one of the all-time great football stories. Can't get enough of it. |
| If | |
| then |
season 2020 is already shaping nicely. |
| If | |
| then |
pick four in the draft will have to be involved. |
| If |
you tossed a coin ... |
| then |
tails for West Coast as the most disappointing finish to 2019, heads for Collingwood. |
| If |
you add Bruce and Keath ... |
| then |
you immediately look better for 2020. |
| If |
it takes a few extra seconds to get the goal-review decisions right ... |
| then |
take those few extra seconds. The Grand Final can't afford a Pies-Giants preliminary final type of cock-up. |
Find In the Game on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify
