IF Will Day hadn't broken down again ... THEN
Sliding Doors is in full swing for 2025 .. and Damo's got plenty on his mindIF Will Day hadn't broken down again ... THENSTRAP yourselves in, footy fans - Damian Barrett's Sliding Doors is in full swing for 2025.With the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season heading towards a dramatic conclusion, Damo's got plenty of thoughts about all 18 clubs - and the AFL.So what is he saying about your team? What's he saying about the AFL? You can't say that, Damo, can you? Check it out below.>> ALL THE LATEST NEWS AND OPINION FROM DAMIAN BARRETTIF ...I'm strong on the fact the AFL should not have let the Crows' lawyers loose for five days on the Izak Rankine homophobic word case ...THEN ...it's not those lawyers' fault that this issue somehow became a saga and an outright mess. And those lawyers somehow were allowed to get a "win", in getting the sanction down from five weeks to four, leaving Rankine with a chance to play in the 2025 Grand Final. "Compelling medical submissions". Not downplaying the potential seriousness of that. But at the same time, so what when it comes to handing down a sanction on deliberate use of a homophobic word against an opponent.IF ..Dayne Zorko was an All-Australian last year at 35 ...THEN ...I'd argue he's been even better in 2025 at 36. And now the man who didn't make his AFL debut until he was 23 reaches the 300-match milestone. What a leader. What a story. What a player.IF ...TDK is out ...THEN ...a lot has to come in. For starters, two attacking half-back flankers, a key back, a quality midfielder. And obviously a ruck.IF ...the Pies can somehow get Bobby Hill to commit to 10 days of brutal, heavy training before an easing of work to prime him for a matchday return ...THEN ...that may be the only hope they've got in a shot at the flag. Have lost all spark, the Pies. No coincidence that the five losses from the six matches have come during Bobby's absence.IF ...I have to watch Essendon one more time in "prime time" ...THEN ...I'm gonna do a Terry Wallace. Oh, I just remembered. Even when the Bombers have already played in the final round of a season in which they have appeared in waaaay too many marquee slots, they've somehow got one more night match to come. Please never let it happen again for such an ordinary, irrelevant team.IF ...Justin Longmuir's chest-out, shoulders-back, high-confidence appearance at Wednesday's media conference is reflected in his players' performance against the Bulldogs on Sunday ...THEN ...the Dockers will be playing finals. Loved the attitude. "The pressure is on them as well … last time I checked, they've won one less game than us." Bring on Sunday.IF ...you are writing off Jez for the 100 after he went goalless in round 23 ...THEN ...I'm not! Yet. Playing Richmond in round 24. With Shannon Neale out, I've got him down for eight.IF ...there's ever been a danger game ...THEN ...the finals-bound Suns up against the hapless Power on Friday night falls smack bang in that category. Belted last week against the Giants, now facing the emotional Kenny in his last game as coach. Let's see if they're truly ready for September.IF ...the concerns on Jesse's foot have been growing by the day since round 15 ...THEN ...it's bordering on crisis now. So shattering for him and the Giants, who surely won't be able to win a flag without him.IF ...Will Day hadn't broken down again ...THEN ...there would be no reason the Hawks couldn't win this year's flag. They're doing nearly everything right. So unfortunate that he's missing a second consecutive finals series.IF ...the Demons have got one of the great AFL leaders on the field in big Maxxy ...THEN ...off it, well, that's an entirely different story. With all the power plays between the current and incoming presidents, and the incoming CEO, and the footy operations boss and the directors, I don't have any faith that they will properly nail their coach search.IF ...the Roos want to belatedly and finally do something meaningful in a season of football ...THEN ...their recruiters and list bosses need to be bold and use the trade period to get a key back. They don't need another midfielder. They don't need another forward. They don't need another aged recruit. They desperately need a big back. The Crows will have one or two superfluous to needs. Go get Butts or Murray. Just. Do. Something.IF ...Kenny has worn his heart on his sleeve for 296 matches as coach of the Power ...THEN ...we are going to see some unbelievably raw emotion under Friday night lights at Adelaide Oval. It all comes to an end for Kenny at Port in game No.297. I've got the over-under line on Port players crying at 15.5. And I've also got Zak Butters the first to produce the waterworks. Have said it many times – wish we operated the way they do in the US, as Kenny would rightly be celebrated as a winning, and successful, coach.IF ...it's fantastic that Josh Gibcus will get to play an AFL game for the first time in 527 days ...THEN ...it's also sobering for him that it's against Geelong, which is again on a potential Grand Final path. Gibcus has had so much go wrong with his body since a 2022 debut. Hope this is the start of him becoming the topline player he was always meant to be.IF ...seemingly everyone attached to the Saints carried on this week as though they'd won the 2025 flag ...THEN ...while it was bemusing, you actually couldn't blame them. Getting Nas's signature on that contract was nearly as good as a finals win. And it now allows them to attack the player exchange period with something to sell.IF ...the Chad has been my favourite AFL player since early 2022 ...THEN ...he still is. But there's no sugar coating his 2025 season. Compared with 2022, 2023 and 2024, it has been ordinary.IF ...the Eagles really wanted to keep Oscar Allen, and if Oscar Allen really wanted to stay with the Eagles ...THEN ...club and player would have found a way to ensure that happens long before now. I don't believe one word they say about him, nor do I believe one word he says about them. What a mess. And it has been since he got caught meeting with Sam Mitchell.IF ...the Dogs have struggled against the best teams and belted the weak teams this season to land a 140.3 percentage ...THEN ...once again they need to win a final round of a home and away season to make finals. It has already happened in 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024. Will start resounding favourites against the Dockers on Sunday. But there will be a weight of expectation which they have failed to meet most times in 2025.AND THIS ONE'S FOR THE AFLIF ...there are yet again so many lessons to be learnt out of another needlessly long and lawyer-led saga ...THEN ...here's mine for consideration: no more negotiated, lawyer-dominated outcomes on cases involving players using homophobic slurs against opponents, and definitely no leniency for supposedly "compelling medical reasons". Just establish rules which everybody must abide by and punished under - with consistency. Who cares if there are "extenuating" circumstances or if you apologised or if you "self-reported"? What a mess. Here's an attempt at helping solve this mess. A homophobic word delivered to an opponent results in an instant suspension of two matches and a fine of 20 per cent of that player's wage. Greg Swann now has too much to fix.
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