| IF | THEN | |
| Adelaide | you look at Scott Thompson's record ... | ... you'll realise he has played 21 or more games in every single season since 2004, except for 2014, when he played 19. We'll back him to maintain that extraordinary record in his 17th season in 2017. |
| Brisbane Lions | you keep publicly denying there's problems and yet you shop yourself round to other clubs for the past three months ... | ... your words, Rocky, are just that. Still a bit to play out on this front. |
| Carlton | there's something we can't get a proper read on just now, yet feel there is something going on ... | ... it is the Bryce Gibbs to SA prospects. |
| Collingwood | Wells, Mayne and Hoskin-Elliott are part of the Pies' list in 2017 ... | ... it's going to be a better list than 2016. But we'll still have our doubts. |
| Essendon | there's one thing that won't happen ... | ... it is Dodoro giving up pick No.1. |
| Fremantle | McCarthy, Hill and Kersten are added ... | ... it's a good starting point for 2017. But Ross The Boss knows they're going to need more than that. |
| Geelong | Deledio is added ... | ... we like it. A lot. |
| Gold Coast | Tony Cochrane went out of his way to tell us he doesn't bluff ... | ... the Hawks have two options in their O'Meara project. Get serious. Or call Cochrane's bluff. We reckon he meant it. |
| Greater Western Sydney | officials from this club were to express publicly what they're saying and thinking privately ... | ... season 2016 was the one that got away. |
| Hawthorn | you thought Clarko was driven before this year ... | ... wait until you see him respond to being coach of a losing semi-finalist. |
| Melbourne | there's one thing we're already looking forward to in 2017 ... | ... it's the Demons with Goody in charge. It's gonna be different. |
| North Melbourne | this club was prepared to roll the dice in 2014 and 2015 ... | ... we don't get the conservatism which clearly gripped it late, and after a 9-0 start, in 2016. Take a look at the Bulldogs to see what can happen when everyone commits to being all-in. |
| Port Adelaide | you sign a guy for five years on big money and a year in you tell him to go and explore other options only for there to be no other options ... | ... it's an unmitigated mess. |
| Richmond | you saw us in a state of bemusement during the week ... | ... no, Leppa wasn't the cause. And by the way, thanks for stepping in there, Vossy, and maybe you too Charman. No, it was when we heard the news of the re-signing of big Ivan … followed by the re-signing of Leppa. |
| St Kilda | Steele does indeed find his way here as we've been speculating for three months ... | ... it's going to be a very nice midfield. |
| Sydney Swans | you reckon the out-of-contract Fyfe will be a big story in 2017 ... | ... yes he will. But the out-of-contract Heeney will be nearly as big. |
| West Coast | Jetta and Redden didn't work as post-2015 recruits ... | ... you need to go back to the well. What happened in 2016 won't cut it in 2017, particularly with no Nic Nat. |
| Western Bulldogs | Tom Boyd never plays again ... | ... it doesn't matter. There has been full return on investment, just two years in. Great finals series. Remarkable Grand Final. JDJ was a more than worthy Norm Smith medallist, but the more we reflect and the more we watch a replay, Boyd was our BOG. A bit like Voss in the 2001 GF. |
| And wait, there's more, as per constant reader request ... | ||
| AFL | there's two things we'd really like from HQ ... | ... those two things would be: i) NO MORE priority picks, ii) NO MORE compensation for loss of free agents. And in the event that neither will ever happen, then we'd settle for full and proper transparency on the free agent compensation formula. |
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Follow Damian Barrett on Twitter: @barrettdamian
