THE 2026 Toyota AFL Premiership season is over, but never fear, Damian Barrett's Sliding Doors is still going full steam ahead.

So put your seatbelt on and enjoy the ride as Damo takes off the gloves and takes aim at your team.

So what is he saying about your club? 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 BARRETT

IF ...

the Crows don't add a player of genuine class in this trade period ...

THEN ...

I cannot see them producing a better result in 2027 than the lost semi final one of 2026. They are very long way off the standards seen on preliminary final weekend.

IF ..

Tubby once famously refused to go past The Don ...

THEN ...

Fages had the same class in declaring on the same score as Lethal. Fages and Lethal, forever equal with three Lions' flags each. In 1998, Mark Taylor declined passing Don Bradman's 334 in a Test Match. Men of the highest class, Chris Fagan and Mark Taylor, right through to the end.

IF ...

the quiet pursuit of Lachie Whitfield has slipped out into the public domain ...

THEN ...

so be it. I like it. Reckon he will be very good as a Blue. And I have no doubt that Graham Wright will have at least a half-dozen other left-field targets for the Blues. A big two weeks ahead.

IF ...

the official opening to the 2026 trade period is next Monday ...

THEN ...

here we go again, for seemingly the sixth year in a row. Jordy De Goey being touted as a possible Pies exit. It wouldn't be a trade period without Jordy being talked about.

IF ...

the one thing Essendon needed to do was get support around Spike ...

THEN ...

a massive well done. I've long been critical of this joint but the appointment of John Longmire as GM of AFL performance was inspired, potentially game-changing. It buys credibility, time, class and genuine hope.

IF ...

Josh Treacy's Grand Final miss from the goalsquare was a mystery ...

THEN ...

it was nowhere near as mysterious as his absence from the backline in the final minutes of the haunting loss to Brisbane. Treacy had been deployed as the extra in defence on dozens of occasions in the past two seasons, sometimes even in the first halves of matches. Had he been there last Saturday, with the entire legacy of the Dockers on the line, Logan Morris wouldn't have been one-out against Oscar McDonald in the match-defining moment. There needs to be more questions about this than Wharfie Time.

IF ...

missing on Zak Butters was a big jolt and Nigel Lappin leaving for the Devils a massive loss ...

THEN ...

the acquisition of Toby Greene will offset some of that disappointment. But should footy operations boss Andrew Mackie also bite at a shiny Devils lure, well, that would be disastrous for the Cats.

IF ...

there's always been a boom on Leo Lombard ...

THEN ...

we saw why in 2026. Played a full quota 23 matches, got better with each game, finished fourth in the best-and-fairest. Arguably the key to the Suns getting back to the finals in 2027.

IF ...

the Giants are clearly in re-set mode, with Toby, Jesse and Jake the guaranteed outs and Lachie a likely out ...

THEN ...

I don't mind it. A very clear plan under the shrewd Jason McCartney watch. This team is being handed over to Callaghan, Green, Cadman, Taylor, Ash, Buckley, Daniels, Thomas and co. There's still a lot of talent.

IF ...

I understand the emotion and rationale behind the Hawks wanting Calsher Dear to stay ...

THEN ...

I also get Dear's desire to explore the Melbourne opportunity. Couldn't get a game this year, and Ben King coming to take yet another forward spot.

IF ...

big Maxxy is having dinner with Calsher Dear ...

THEN ...

that's going to be hard for a young man to reject. I can see the appeal of a Jacob van Rooyen-Dear forward line.

IF ...

landing a coach is Priority No.1 ...

THEN ...

landing Nick Murray in this trade period is a close Priority No.2. It's that serious that this club adds a quality key back to its operations. Finals will remain a distant hope only should they miss.

IF ...

you have long forgotten the July 2012 day when Chris Scott, Jimmy Bartel and Joel Selwood strode into Adelaide like gunslingers into the saloon, in the pursuit of Trav Boak ...

THEN ...

Port Adelaide hasn't. In the 14 years that have elapsed, the Geelong Wanted poster has never been taken down off the Alberton walls. Turns out the Cats were never a chance for Zak Butters.

IF ...

Richmond has allowed itself to meaninglessly meander through three seasons ...

THEN ...

president John O'Rourke's address at the best-and-fairest count on Tuesday night suggested it was time this club realised it needed to regain relevance. Pressure is on everyone, as it should be.

IF ...

one Marshall is out ...

THEN ...

another one will arrive. Rowan, again, wanting to exit. Sam, who managed just two matches for the Lions in 2026 after playing in a premiership in 2025, wanting to join. Saints were all gung-ho this time last year with player acquisition. They can't stop now.

IF ...

Isaac Heeney on Thursday night was formally announced by the Sydney Swans as their 2026 best-and-fairest player, for a third consecutive season, despite being banned by the club from playing the final three matches (round 24, qualifying final and preliminary final), and if he was also eligible to have won the AFL-run Brownlow Medal, where he finished sixth

THEN ...

I am still awaiting proper, legally-backed reason why he was removed from the AFL-run All-Australian team, along with Chad Warner and Nick Blakey. Yes, the Swans were validated in taking action against him, and yes, there is still a Victoria Police investigation which needs formal resolution. But the football he, Warner and Blakey had played in 2026 should be allowed to be judged separate to their actions on that August night.

IF ...

the Eagles need to add a lot of talent to their depleted playing stocks ...

THEN ...

they also need to be careful of who they chose. I don't mind the pursuit of Jack Viney. But players from other clubs who are long past their best will only take you so far, regardless of the off-field professionalism they bring.

IF ...

it’s a no-brainer to be all-in on the Zak Butters project ...

THEN ...

it's still a head scratcher that he's going to be soaking up 11 per cent of the salary cap of a high-end playing list, and be getting at least $600,000 more per year than the all-time great Bont. Would want to kick goals at a better strike rate than the mere six he's managed from his past 41 matches, too.

AND THIS ONE'S FOR THE AFL

IF ...

the AFL had the opportunity to re-launch the workings of its player movement and drafts ...

THEN ...

surely it would not just embrace that possibility, but blow-up the current structures. Equalisation measures versus expansion projects have made it an almighty mess. Father-sons, academies, restricted free agents, unrestricted free agents, secret herbs and spices in compensation for loss of free agents, band one compo, band two compo, draft index points, discounted points on certain picks. I could go on and on. Seemingly, at least 11 additional selections in the first round of this year's national draft, and already, 13 months before the 2027 national draft, the revelation that 23 of the 46 players who took the field in last weekend's Futures game have already been assigned to clubs. There is nothing 'pure' about any of this.