IN THIS week's Sliding Doors, made possible by ventraip australia, our chief football correspondent Damian Barrett puts Port captain Ollie Wines, Geelong warrior Joel Selwood, star Pie Jamie Elliott, an in-demand Hawk, Saints' coaching process, Nic Nat, and more in the Doors' spotlight.

What's Barrett saying about your club? What's he saying about the AFL? Check it out.

If you've been bagging Tex ... then you've been misguided. A leader good enough to twice be voted by his AFL captain peers as best skipper in the comp. And his issues of the past two years were more his club's problems than his personally.

If he was terribly exposed early against Jack Riewoldt in round 23 ... then it wasn't actually Marcus Adams' fault. His midfield let him down. Reckon Fages will have faith and give Adams another crack at Jack.







If the new coach wants Eddie Betts but others may not ... then there is going to be a very interesting powerplay unfold from here.

Find Road to the Draft on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.





If it was a giant forward who managed to dominate a big final for the Pies in 2018 ... then it might be a smaller one this year. Jamie Elliott – poised to take over the big stage on a Friday night in September.

If the Bombers have danced around the John Worsfold issue for the entire season ... then it can't be cute with the matter any longer. It's very simple. Either he's coach for 2020, or he's not. Hello Lindsay Tanner. Need to see, hear, or read a statement from you in the next 24 hours.

If it's only been two weeks since he's gone ... then I'm still pining. Even on a quiet week where the Dockers are out of finals, Ross The Boss would have somehow provided content for this column. But I've got nothing under the Dockers headline this week.

If Joel Selwood has endured the least effective of the 13 seasons he's been in the AFL ... then that won't matter one bit when, as I expect, he reasserts his authority and big-game ways in Friday night's qualifying final against Collingwood.

If the mind still boggles at how Jarryd Lyons was a) forced to play NEAFL last year and b) traded out of the club for nothing and with the help of the AFL breaking its own rules ... then the expected securing of Brandon Ellis in the Trade Period would go some way to making up for that.

If you recall the words of Deledio when he announced his retirement plans last month ... then you'll remember he said this: "Let me stress, I'm not giving up right now. I'm hellbent on getting back to play in that first final and whatever will be will be after that." Being hellbent worked. The last dice roll for a very, very good player. Should be interesting, and wish him well.

If Jonathon Ceglar is at the Hawks next year ... then I'll be surprised. A player wanted by numerous clubs, including the well-performing one in south-east Queensland.

If Ollie Wines is indeed gettable ... then the Dees should take a close look.

If Brady Rawlings isn't officially starting duties as general manager football until December 1 (as per the Roos' own media release) ... then I wonder who is making all these decisions on player contracts and assistant coaches. Rhyce Shaw can only do so much.

If there's something odd about the pre-Trade Period "feel" of rival clubs ... then it is that Ollie Wines is a player worth asking the question about. Something is not right, here.

If you take your mind back to this time last year, Jack Higgins was about to be officially awarded the Coates Hire Goal of the Year in his debut season, where upon acceptance he would make his beautifully innocent, nervous-in-the-moment "my heart's pumping a thousand minutes per second" comment ... then bring yourself back to the now, where Higgins is booked for serious brain surgery and faces an uncertain life and football path beyond that … and a game of football, albeit a qualifying final, against Brisbane at the Gabba just isn't that important.

If you go back one year and eight days ... then the Saints publicly announced Brett Ratten officially as Alan Richardson's senior assistant. Unofficially, it was as his successor, a decision ratified by the club's board on Thursday night.

If he didn't crack it for a mention in the top five of the official 2019 NAB AFL Rising Star voting ... then I still reckon Nick Blakey will emerge as the best of the 2019 Rising Star crop.

If it was a solid win against the Bombers on Thursday night... then it wasn't the type of win that indicated another Grand Final appearance. And yet if Nic Nat stays fit, anything remains possible. A resounding return from the competition's most unique, most must-watch, most important Eagle.

If you're going into a final choosing to leave Tory Dickson out of the 22 ... then in my eyes that says two things. One, you're flying. Two, his football brain is too good to leave out no matter how well you're flying.

If the Victorian court system keeps applying ridiculously lenient sentences to outrageously violent offences, the latest on Thursday to a thug who launched a tirade of punches at the MCG in the AFL season-opener ... then It's all just words, yet again, from those who could actually make a real difference on issues that actually matter.

Find In the Game on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify