| If | Josh Jenkins is on the Crows' list in 2020 ... |
| then | I'll be very surprised. Carrying himself superbly in this humbling period, deserves another crack at another club, and will get one. |
| If | Charlie Cameron re-sets his goalkicking radar (15.18 this season) ... |
| then | the finals-bound Lions will be even harder to beat, and he will find himself in All Australian team discussions. |
Charlie Cameron from a very tough spot!#AFLLionsEagles pic.twitter.com/DtxPZ8lyTa
— AFL (@AFL) March 23, 2019
Find In the Game on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify
| If | |
| then | there's one way to brighten it up – conjure a win against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium on Sunday. |
| If | you're into your third season for your second club and have managed just 14 matches ... |
| then | it's been bad for player and team. But now that he's back in, Daniel Wells may yet prove to be a premiership-winning influencer the Pies thought they were recruiting at the end of 2016. |
| If | this club hasn't already launched a full-scale review of Joe Daniher himself and the medical handling of his body ... |
| then | it should. So many questions. First one: why, after 12 months on the sidelines, did Daniher play his first two return matches this year, with just a five-day break in between? Second one: has everyone done everything to the utmost of their abilities to make this work? |
| If | he's already had 47 last chances ... |
| then | Harley Bennell needs absolutely everything to go right with this latest one. Great to see him returning to playing, in the WAFL. Despite all his many off-field problems, there's a lot to like about this guy. |
| If | |
| then | I don't. Love it. His ways are a point of difference amid a boring playing-group world of conformity. |
| If | the Danger Show won't be on the Gold Coast for Saturday night's match ... |
| then | it's OK - the Gazza Show will be. Ablett needs a rest, but not this weekend with Danger out with an ankle. |
| If | there's a guy I hope gets to experience a premiership ... |
| then | it's Deledio. Was nearly broken when the Tigers won one the year he left them after 12 seasons of service. Returned well from his latest injury last weekend. Fingers crossed. |
| If | there's an 80 per cent chance of rain on a 13-degree day with 40km/h squally winds ... |
| then | the Hawks-Power game at Launceston on Saturday won't be one which helps increase AFL season 2019's historically low average scores. |
| If | there's an upset brewing in round 10 ... |
| then | it could be the Dees against the premiership-fancy Giants. Would love to see Preuss make the 22 and take on Mummy. Two big bulls, a young one and an old one, going at it in the same yard. Bring it on. |
| If | he's struggled for form for most of the season ... |
| then | this game presents as one where Ben Brown can return to his best. Matches up well against the Dogs' backline options. |
| If | there is one thing you can take to the bank out of round 10 ... |
| then | it is that Chad Wingard, in his first game against the team at which he played 147 matches and was once a favourite son, will finish this Launceston match with sore body and even sorer eardrums. |
| If | the Tigers were bold enough to use overall pick 20 (their second pick, after they snared Jack Higgins at 17) on a 200cm kid from Adelaide in the 2017 NAB AFL Draft ... |
| then | Callum Coleman-Jones can obviously play. He's coming up against one of the game's best rucks in big Bellcho in his debut. Can't wait to see how this plays out. |
| If | Josh Battle continues the significant progress he's shown in 2019 ... |
| then | he's going to be a very good player for a long time. |
| If | there's one way to bring the SCG to life on a Friday night in May ... |
| then | it's Buddy's re-inclusion in a Swans team against Collingwood. Now, we're really, really excited about this game. |
| If | you've only got time to properly watch one game over the weekend ... |
| then | make sure it's the Saturday twilight fixture, Eagles v Crows. Reckon it will be season-shaping. |
| If | Josh Dunkley is given full licence to be the midfielder he was born to be ... |
| then | he's got at least one best and fairest in him, maybe the first of those this season. |
| If | we've been critical of the MRO and Tribunal mixed messaging this year ... |
| then | it's only right that we heap praise when it's due - which it is with the concerted crackdown on umpire abuse by players. And the next time the "cheat" word is used, no matter the context, make it a $20,000 fine. |
