IT'S BACK ... Damian Barrett's Sliding Doors has returned for 2022 and no one and NO CLUB is safe.

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?

>> CLICK HERE TO READ MORE BARRETT  

Check it out below, and don't forget to catch the latest episode of AFL Daily while you're here.

IF ...

more than enough has been said, deservedly, about the extraordinary five-goal debut of Josh Rachele ...

THEN ...

let's give some love to Ben Keays. 37 disposals last week, his final, under-immense-pressure kick very nearly securing a great win. Seemed gone at the end of 2019, when his time as a Lion ended. A narrow runner-up in the '21 b-and-f. A Crows' barometer in '22.

IF ..

I'm going to identify a "most unlucky footballer" from round one ...

THEN ...

it's Mitch Robinson. Suspended a week for his clash with Duursma. I thought he did EVERYTHING under his control in those circumstances to mitigate damage.

IF ...

Charlie Curnow hadn't broken down in round 15, 2019 ...

THEN ...

we may have already been talking about him as the best forward in the comp. That conversation is going to start soon. Brilliant on Thursday night against the Dogs, the match-winner with five goals. 

IF ...

the Magpies make it two from two against the Crows at the MCG ...

THEN ...

I really hope Jack Ginnivan grabs the GoPro again, lets us all in on the celebrations as he did last week, and soaks up another, as he would call it, "dub". It was great, natural TV, from a happy 19-year-old enjoying life in a 2022 way. Nothing else.

IF ...

I refrained from joining the pile-on after the horrid opening to the season last week against Geelong ...

THEN ...

I'm nevertheless going to need to see some steel and pride against Brisbane on Saturday if I'm not going to join the fray this week.

IF ...

it was merely a nondescript round one match ...

THEN ...

it ended with one of the more clutch plays ever seen at an AFL venue. Heath Chapman into instant folklore. Jordan and Kobe-like clutch.

IF ...

there's one thing I've never understood ...

THEN ...

it is the regular criticism of this team for daring to try to win a flag every season. Started 2022 in blistering fashion, but of course everyone focused on how bad the opposition was. Top four here we come. Again.

IF ...

the Suns want the footy world to take notice of what they internally believe to be a turning point of historical significance  ...

THEN ...

no better way than to give an almighty fright, and maybe even secure a win, against the reigning premier.

IF ...

Hogan and Haynes are in the game-day 22 ...

THEN ...

that is a better 22 than round one's 22. But Toby won't be part of the 22 until round six. The Giants' season may be over by then.

IF ...

a common trait in the great coaches is a preparedness to axe big names ...

THEN ...

Sam Mitchell is off to a flyer. The conversation with Liam Shiels, a man with whom he shared three Hawks premierships, could not have been easy.

IF ...

Angus Brayshaw was as crucial as any Demon in changing the course of the 2021 Toyota AFL Grand Final ...

THEN ...

he was also as crucial as any of his teammates in contributing to a round one 2022 win against the same team. Helped cover a severely depleted backline. The Dees' Mr Fixit.

IF ...

an opportunity was lost last weekend against Hawthorn ...

THEN ...

an opportunity can't be missed again, against the Eagles on Sunday. Kennedy, Barrass, Redden out for West Coast due to health and safety protocols. 

IF ...

the season opened with a loss ...

THEN ...

there were no great concerns when it came to the big picture view. But injuries to Aliir and Gray are far from ideal.

IF ...

Prestia and Riewoldt are already out and Dusty may join them for personal reasons ...

THEN ...

Sunday's game against the Giants looms as worrying, particularly after the round one loss against Carlton.

IF ...

the Saints don't include Jack Higgins in their final 22 ...

THEN ...

they're kidding themselves. Who cares if he didn't handball when he maybe should have last week? He's actually an exciting point of difference in an otherwise very bland team.

IF ...

Phil Davis wound the clock back and was able to shut Buddy out last weekend ...

THEN ...

no reason the well-organised Cats defence can't do the same. The Stewart-Henry-Blicavs combo won't make it easy for him to kick the required four for the career 1000.

IF ...

the outs, yet again, are massive (Kennedy, Barrass, Redden, all under health and safety protocols) and add to this club's horror early-2022 season ...

THEN ...

the ins may weirdly make it a net positive. Shuey, Flyin' Ryan, Darling, Kelly. Backs against the wall, nothing to lose. Simpson will like that.

IF ...

there's no reason for major concern after a 0-2 start to '22 ...

THEN ...

there is, though, cause for minor concern. The backline is still a worry, the forward line without Josh Bruce is not working the way Bevo would want it to, and the midfield, while batting deep and going OK, hasn't stood up against Melbourne and Carlton.

AND THIS ONE'S FOR THE AFL

IF ...

Gill said during the week, "I just want people to know that we suspended Willie Rioli and we think that that is not appropriate in 2022" ...

THEN ...

that statement outlined all we need to know about the Match Review Office-Tribunal-Appeals Tribunal structure of the game's operations. Rioli is playing this week. The judicial structure is not just obsolete but badly, badly broken, and has been for too long.