IF | THEN | |
Adelaide | Paul Seedsman was still at Collingwood ... | ... he'd be a star and starting midfielder. Let's see if he can maintain post-Anzac Day round form in 2016 though. |
Brisbane Lions | there's something that sits very uneasily with us ... | ... it's that Stef Martin played last week after a nasty head knock and that Allen Christensen will do the same this week. (And that Riewoldt and McCartin did in round four.) |
Carlton | we're going to leave ourselves wide, wide open for some friendly feedback in this week's Sliding Doors ... | ... it will be this: Levi Casboult will kick six |
Collingwood | Mason Cox repeats his debut six-kick, four-handball, three-mark, one-goal performance of last week against the Eagles in Perth this week ... | ... we'll start to buy into the over-the-top hype. |
Essendon | someone needs a confidence booster this weekend ... | ... it's Joe Daniher. And he might just get it. |
Fremantle | Ross The Boss wants to re-stump, re-wire, re-plumb ... | ... that's his right. But it's a reno on the run, certainly not planned for. And those type of patch-up jobs often leave things worse in the long run. |
Geelong | there's a heavy reliance on Joel and Paddy ... | ... so be it. They are machine-like in their abilities to stand up when most needed. |
Gold Coast | you start 3-0 but proceed to go 0-3 thereafter, which will be the case after Saturday night's visit to Simonds Stadium ... | ... with the Dees, Giants, Crows, Eagles and Swans to follow, this season is starting to look ugly. |
Greater Western Sydney | before every ultimate success in elite sport there lies a moment that is reflected upon as coming-of-age ... | ... Spotless Stadium at 4.35pm on Saturday looms as this side's coming-of-age moment. |
Hawthorn | Lake was moved on only for the Hawks to miss out on hard chases of Carlisle and Hooker, and if Gibbo is to turn 33 before next season starts ... | ... we know they'll go hard again at some other, possibly unsuspecting, key backman. |
Melbourne | there were five years between this mob winning consecutive games ... | ... it may as well keep going and make it three in a row against the Saints, and after it does, why stop at three when Gold Coast awaits next week? |
North Melbourne | the start to the year has been a stunning 5-0 scoreline ... | ... you simply have to keep going when you're playing a team minus Johannisen, Murphy and Suckling. |
Port Adelaide | Lobbe had've said yes to the Bulldogs' offer in the off-season ... | ... he'd be playing in a second versus first Friday night match. Not heading out to Peter Motley Oval in the Port twos. |
Richmond | Dixon kicks a bag this week to get Port over the line ... | ... a certain Tigers full-back is going to be feeling a whole lot worse than he already is. |
St Kilda | you're being "managed" out of the team for a crunch match against an evenly matched opponent ... | ... we do wonder what "managed" means. Hopefully McCartin himself knows, and hopefully it's got nothing to do with his concussion a few weeks back. |
Sydney Swans | you go back to the national and rookie drafts of last year ... | ... you'll realise 83 players were selected by clubs before the Swans nabbed Tom Papley. Never give up on that dream. |
West Coast | we were once convinced about this team ... | ... we're now not just reconsidering, but actually need some hard evidence that it is not merely a flat-track bully. And we probably won't be any wiser after Sunday night against the Pies. But we might be next week against the Cats. |
Western Bulldogs | no Johannisen, no Murphy and no Suckling doesn't stop this team against an injury-free ladder leader on Friday night ... | ... reload on that quest to reach for the stars. |
Sliding Doors: round six
Damian Barrett looks at each club and the possibilities this round