| If | Lever leaving was a massive blow ... |
| then | Brad Crouch's prolonged early-season absence will be only marginally less impactful. |
BRISBANE
| If | there was an off-season prize for selling hope ... |
| then | give it to the Lions |
New Brisbane recruit Charlie Cameron. Picture AFL Photos
CARLTON
| If | the Charlie Curnow stock was a speculative one before Friday night ... |
| then |
Below: Charlie Curnow celebrates one of his five goals against the Tigers. Picture: AFL Photos
COLLINGWOOD
| If | there are two players Bucks can least afford to be sidelined for round one ... |
| then | it’s Elliott and Wells. Two match-winners in a team that doesn’t have enough of such type. ... |
ESSENDON
| If | we were in charge of this team ... |
| then | Hooker would be played down back. Every. Single. Week. |
FREMANTLE
| If | we were in charge of this team ... |
| then | we’re giving Bennell an absolute-last chance, and at the same time getting him back to the seniors ASAP. |
Harley Bennell needs a big year. Picture: AFL Photos
GEELONG
| If | you go back to the corresponding weekend in 2007 ... |
| then | you will recall a young bloke was picked for a Cats debut. 249 games later for that guy, and his impact in the AFL has been as profound as any other player in that time. |
Star Cat Joel Selwood is about to play his 250th game. Picture: AFL Photos
GOLD COAST
| If | the Elliott-Wells unavailability hurts Bucks at Collingwood ... |
| then | the Hanley-Hall absence is just as big a blow to Dew. And when you add Peter Wright to the outs, it’s a far from ideal list for his coaching debut. |
GWS
| If | everyone else seems to be jumping off, declaring the premiership window is closed ... |
| then | we’re going the other way. Might even double down. The Giants have their best chance yet in 2018. |
HAWTHORN
| If | we’re going to make a ridiculously early crow ... |
| then | Jarman Impey is the recruit of the year. |
Former Port speedster Jarman Impey during the JLT. Picture: AFL Photos
MELBOURNE
| If | anyone has lingering doubts about the superstar credentials of Jesse Hogan ... |
| then | remove them. You’ll be looking silly if you don’t. |
NORTH MELBOURNE
| If | Goldstein has a quiet night ... |
| then | Preuss has to play round two. This is not the season to play safe. |
PORT ADELAIDE
| If | you dare to have a proper crack during trade period ... |
| then | we love it and hope that you get an injury-free run and go really deep into September. |
Jack Watts and Paddy Ryder celebrate a goal during the JLT: Picture: AFL Photos
RICHMOND
| If | there’s one thing we really like in footy ... |
| then | it’s a low-key, old-fashioned, football-brained goalsneak. We like Butler. A lot. |
ST KILDA
| If | the Saints players display the same stake-in-the-ground, confrontational yet controlled attitude as their president did against Jeff Kennett at last week’s meeting in Melbourne ... |
| then | finals here we come. But is there someone who will do that? Carlisle, yes. Geary, yes. Anyone else? |
SYDNEY
| If | we went way too early on declaring Callum Mills a superstar ... |
| then | we don’t back off now. But we would like him to reassert himself on the competition early in 2018. |
WEST COAST
| If | Kennedy doesn’t get his body right really quickly ... |
| then | this will be a very long season for the Eagles. |
WESTERN BULLDOGS
| If | two senior football department officials from other clubs can vividly recall conversations about Dahlhaus in trade period last year, without being prompted ... |
| then | we’ll let you make up your own mind. |
Bulldog forward Luke Dahlhaus: Picture: AFL Photos
| If | we’re liking one thing to this point of the AFL year ... |
| then | it’s that the Match Review and Tribunal are on the same page. Gray, then Brennan. That hasn’t always been the case, inconsistency in the past between the two bodies leading to mixed messaging. |
