| IF | THEN | |
| Adelaide | one man is capable of dragging his team across the line in a semi-final this weekend ... | ... it is Texan. He'll be more than up for it, but he does need to be ready for some old-style, unsociable Hawthorn activity tonight. |
| Brisbane Lions | one, two or three are not enough ... | ... hey, let's make it four. Four best-and-fairest trophies in a season which reaped four wins. Give. Us. A. Spell. |
| Carlton | there was a proper outcome in a best-and-fairest award during the week ... | ... it was Patrick Cripps' victory in the Blues' count. Stood up all year amid the nightmare. |
| Collingwood | you want to reignite some much-needed spark ... | ... get the Treloar deal officially done on day one of the trade period, and follow it up with another two or three big deals. |
| Essendon | Paul Little would actually allow his club to abide by the process it devised to find a new coach, and not do, seemingly as always, his own thing ... | ... the club would have a far better chance of finding the right man for the future. |
| Fremantle | we know Ross The Boss like we think we know him ... | ... at some stage of the next week he will send a cryptic message to the footy world that Ryan Crowley could be a shock selection for the prelim. |
| Geelong | there is a name we expect to emerge as a senior coaching candidate in the next few years ... | ... it is Matthew Scarlett. Stepping up his assistant coaching duties at the Cats to full-time capacity. |
| Gold Coast | Harley Bennell gets his way ... | ... he'll be playing in his home state next year, for Freo. If those who have what they know to be his best interests at heart, then he'll be based in Victoria. Watch Richmond in this space. |
| Greater Western Sydney | ever the "honeymoon is over" phrase applies to an AFL club ... | ... it is GWS. Time to get things right in 2016. Time to convert potential into hardened form across all facets of the operation. |
| Hawthorn | you recall this period of last year ... | ... you will remember Will Langford being in blistering form. Was just about the Hawks’ player of the 2014 finals series. Dropped this week. |
| Melbourne | Melksham does indeed find his way to the Demons ... | ... we reckon it'll be a really good move for player and club. |
| North Melbourne | Hansen is fit ... | ... North are always a better outfit. When right, he's crucial to the Roos' structure, and again looms as a key to what unfolds against the Swans. |
| Port Adelaide | there's a player who is going to have a lot of questions about a future elsewhere put to him in coming weeks ... | ... it is Matthew Lobbe. And yes, we know he's got a very long-term deal with the Power. |
| Richmond | a third consecutive loss in an elimination final proves one thing ... | ... it is this: your entire set-up needs a serious re-jig before you enter the next season. |
| St Kilda | you win a best-and-fairest award you are rightly afforded across-board credibility. If you win two ... | ... you're starting to put yourself in rare air. Well done Jack Steven. |
| Sydney Swans | we were running the Swans or AFL this week ... | ... there is no way we would've provided any form of public commentary about rumours. |
| West Coast | you didn't well up when watching Nic Nat deal with his emotions post-match last weekend ... | ... you're incapable of welling up. |
| Western Bulldogs | Peter Gordon was to revisit those heady days of last year's trade period ... | ... would he again commit to a $7 million contract for a then-19-year-old? No way. |
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Follow Damian Barrett on Twitter: @barrettdamian
