NOW THAT the Western Bulldogs' slim finals hopes have officially flat-lined, the club will start preparing for 2012.
Which means we can expect the Bulldogs' untried pups, such as third-year ruckman Ayce Cordy, to be given every opportunity over the final three rounds, while some battle-weary veterans will be given an early spell.
The loss to Essendon on Saturday night confirmed what has seemed likely for most of the season - the Bulldogs will miss the finals for the first time since 2007.
More significantly, after reaching the preliminary finals for the past three years, the Bulldogs' chances of winning a premiership with their current playing group appear shot.
Already spearhead Barry Hall has confirmed he will retire at the end of the season, and ruckman Ben Hudson, 32, may join him. Behind them are 30-year-olds Lindsay Gilbee and Ryan Hargrave, and a sizeable group of players in their late 20s - Robert Murphy, Daniel Giansiracusa, Matthew Boyd, Brian Lake and Daniel Cross.
It seems the Bulldogs will now seek to rejuvenate their list by putting their faith in youth. What is not clear, however, is whether coach Rodney Eade will oversee this rebuild.
There has been much speculation already about whether Eade will be retained by the Bulldogs when he comes out of contract at the end of this season.
It started before a ball was bounced this year when Bulldogs president David Smorgon told The Footy Show that the club's pass mark in 2011 was to make the Grand Final. Although Smorgon subsequently denied this meant Eade had to guide the Bulldogs to a top-two finish to keep his job, this did little to stop the media speculation.
Now that the Bulldogs' season is as good as over, the Herald Sun's Jon Ralph looks at the decision they now must make on Eade.
As Ralph sees it, the Bulldogs have two workable alternatives - give Eade the time and licence he needs to rebuild the list, or wave him goodbye.
Ralph believes the Bulldogs face a rebuild that will take time and come with its share of on-field pain. Therefore, if the Bulldogs were to hand Eade a qualified two-year deal, the conjecture about his future would start all over again if the Bulldogs start to struggle next year, he wrote.
But if they placed their faith in Eade, Ralph wrote that the Bulldogs could sell the appointment to their members on the basis Eade had already started the rebuild. This season, Eade has introduced fresh faces such as Luke Dahlhaus, Tom Liberatore, Christian Howard, Mitch Wallis and Zephaniah Skinner, with encouraging results.
Eade's record at the Bulldogs speaks for itself. Four finals appearances in seven seasons, with an overall winning rate of 54.3 per cent.
However, the Bulldogs may think it's time for a change.
We'll know soon enough.
The best of the rest do battle
Collingwood and Geelong have been way out in front of the competition for most of the season.
However, as dominant as the Magpies and Cats have been, it's become increasingly apparent that circling beneath them are three genuine challengers - Hawthorn, Carlton and West Coast.
This Friday night, we'll learn more about the claims of two of that trio, when the Hawks and Blues square off at Etihad Stadium.
In a quirk that highlights the vagaries of current AFL fixturing, it will be the first time Hawthorn and Carlton have met since round nine last season.
The game will also reveal the most likely challenger to Collingwood and Geelong, The Age's Rohan Connolly contends.
Connolly wrote that both teams had improved significantly since their last encounter, the Hawks on the back of their revised precision short-kicking game plan and the Blues on their improved contested football and more potent forward line.
Looking at this Friday night's game, Connolly wrote that the Hawks would be looking to Lance Franklin and Cyril Rioli to expose Carlton's defence, while the Blues would look to their midfield headed by Chris Judd and Marc Murphy to carry them to victory.
So who will win? Connolly sees the teams as "close to inseparable" and does not disclose his tip at this early stage.
However, he issued a note of warning to any Collingwood and Geelong supporters looking to book their Grand Final seats already. Connolly wrote that often a season looks to throw up two "inevitable" Grand Finalists only for another team to throw a spanner in the works.
If that happens this year, it will most likely be Hawthorn or Carlton throwing the spanner, Connolly wrote.
Rioli makes every possession count
Anyone who played a Dream Team final last weekend against an opponent with Cyril Rioli in their team can tell you just how damaging the Hawk can be from limited opportunities.
Rioli had 151 Dream Team points against Port Adelaide from just 16 disposals. It was the small forward's ability to hit the scoreboard that boasted his tally, in particular his six goals.
When Rioli was plagued by a series of hamstring injuries earlier this season it seemed the Hawks might not be able to take advantage of his sublime skills as much as they had hoped.
At the time, coach Alastair Clarkson said he would - at least temporarily - abandon plans to rotate Rioli through the Hawks' midfield, fearful that fatigue was contributing to his run of soft-tissue injuries.
However, Rioli has since underlined just how destructive he can be as a small forward, even if he's not winning the sort of possession numbers he could be in the midfield.
The Herald Sun's Michael Stevens wrote that Champion Data statistics revealed Rioli had been the No.1 player in the competition in the past month for converting disposals into scores.
Remarkably, 67 per cent of Rioli's disposals (38 of 57) in the past four rounds have led to a Hawthorn score. Geelong's Steve Johnson and St Kilda's Stephen Milne were the only other players in the AFL to record a figure of about 60 per cent in that time.
Even if Rioli's hamstrings do not fail him next season, his ability to make so much out of so little will mean Hawthorn thinks twice before moving him from its forward line.
In short
Recently sacked Melbourne coach Dean Bailey told SEN radio he is in "no doubt" the Demons will make the finals in 2012. Bailey said he was convinced Melbourne would then have an extended premiership window.
The Sydney Swans face their most important match in three years when they take on St Kilda at ANZ Stadium this Sunday, Rhyce Shaw told the Sydney Morning Herald. The Swans' surprise round 21 loss to Richmond has suddenly cast doubt over their hold on a final-eight spot.
Former St Kilda midfielder Allan Murray will meet with Eastern Football League officials on Monday over allegations he was racially vilified while playing for Balwyn against Noble Park on Saturday, the Herald Sun reports.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
