| If | there is such a thing as "mojo" ... |
| then | the Crows have regained it. After all their self-inflicted troubles of 2018, and a very slow to start to 2019, they're back to 2017 levels. Coach Pyke has stayed true to himself, his team has caught up with his ideology. |
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| If | the Lions somehow miss the eight from here ... |
| then | they will at least be able to trace back to the moment they stuffed it up … last weekend in a loss to Carlton, after leading by 37 points. |
| If | the only win Brendon Bolton secured in 2019 was against the Bulldogs in round five ... |
| then | there's no reason the unbeaten David Teague can't do it in round 13. |
| If | the footy world we've found ourselves living in isn’t already spiralling out of control ... |
| then | Joffa boycotting the game until fans are given an apology by Gill might officially push it off its axis. |
| If | Fantasia, Stringer and Shiel are the ins ... |
| then | that is great news. But it also means that Woosha now has to win this game against the Hawks on Friday night. No margin for error in the run home. |
| If | the big names (Lobb, Pearce, Taberner) are dropping like flies with leg injuries which are possibly related to the concrete-like surface at Optus Stadium ... |
| then | hopefully Walters and Fyfe can stay fit. Anything can still happen this season if those two are out there. |
| If | Danger, Gaz, Kelly, Joel and Hawk didn't naturally, and rightly, receive so much media focus ... |
| then | Duncan would be getting his proper share too. Putting together an outstanding season. Is actually performing as an elite in 2019. |
| If | ever a team has needed a win ... |
| then | it is this one. Great start to 2019 – three wins and a one-point loss in the opening four games – but eight straight losses since. Gets its chance against the equally vulnerable and equally nervous Saints. |
| If | Toby Greene plays ... |
| then | the Giants win against the Roos. |
| If | the Hawks are to beat the Bombers ... |
| then | McEvoy, who is a huge in, must beat Bellcho in the ruck. |
| If | you needed reminding, Demons fans, that this season is a disaster ... |
| then | here it is: you had won six games in a row last year in rounds six-11, and had an 8-4 scoreline at the corresponding bye weekend. |
| If | the Roos think all their problems will be solved by seeking to bring back to the club anyone with a past connection ... |
| then | they're kidding themselves. Boys Clubs are often a copout and don't always work. |
| If | consecutive Port matches are played in Launceston, Shanghai and Perth (albeit with a week off between Shanghai and Perth) and there has been no whinging ... |
| then | surely no club can ever again sook it up about travel. |
| If | this season wasn't a worry before Thursday night against the Crows ... |
| then | it officially is now. Three losses in a row, and a now-obvious inability to beat the best without their big names. |
| If | you've got three players out with injury only to axe another four ... |
| then | it's clearly game-on in the run home. Richo, rightly, coaching for his future. Two very winnable games out of the bye, the Suns this week. |
| If | Tippett, Hannebery and Rohan are already gone and McVeigh and Jack potentially to follow ... |
| then | we're sensing another, old-fashioned, no-one-saw-it-coming, big-name recruiting coup come October. |
| If | the losing margins this year have been 44 (Lions), 42 (Power), 58 (Cats) and 45 (Swans) points ... |
| then | that's now a worry. |
| If | there's any hope of a surge into the finals ... |
| then | there's no option but to win against the Blues on Saturday night. At 4-7 on entering this round, a very long season lies ahead for Bevo and his boys in the event of a loss. |
| If | I was Gill ... |
| then | there is zero chance I would be apologising. No reason to. For way too long, extreme-poor, boorish, aggressive, plain wrong behaviour has been tolerated in the crowds. Over to you, Joffa. |
