1 Simon Goodwin getting the lemon and sarse from Melbourne on Tuesday morning took me by surprise. Goody is a proven winner with runs on the board and the next coach has big shoes to fill. Despite not winning a final since that drought-breaking 2021 flag, and the dramas surrounding Clayton Oliver and Christian Petracca, Goodwin has handled himself very well. Put the feet up Goody, you deserve it.

2 If Adelaide finish top two as expected it will be hard to stop them from getting through to a grand final. The home ground advantage at the Adelaide Oval is huge. The rebuild under Matthew Nicks has had some twists and turns and it’s been a long journey from the 2017 decider until now. They are not there yet but the club should be applauded for sticking to their plan. The Crows are playing the right way... a finals-type style. Another example of a club that didn’t listen to the outside noise and is now reaping the rewards.

3 And on the Crows, let’s give the 297-game Texan, Taylor Walker, some love. How good is it to see him enjoying his footy and still having a massive influence on games. His final two set-shots last Friday to win the game were a result of an elite goal-kicking technique. He showed ice cool nerve by not letting the scoreboard affect his routine. What a beautiful kick he is. I’d pick him to kick for my life from 40m out, straight in front. Who would you choose?

4 Time to right a wrong at the All-Australian selection table. Richmond’s triple-premiership mainstay Nick Vlastuin must be selected as the intercept defender. Amazingly he has never been picked. Geelong’s Tom Stewart has had a mortgage on that spot with five AA jumpers since 2017. Stewart has been an unbelievable, but since 2017 their stats have been almost identical. The argument will be for Adelaide’s Josh Worrell to take this spot in 2025 but it would be a travesty if Vlastuin retires without an AA blazer.

5 While $2 million-a-season is overs for Harley Reid, West Coast simply have to get this man signed and for the long term. If its 10 years just get it done. In time, he will repay every cent. He plays with passion and energy and has had to carry a midfield in just his second year. That’s admirable. It would be a disaster to lose a generational player such as Harley. The way he puts it all out there for the Eagles each week tells me he is committed to being at West Coast.

6 Carlton can not afford Collingwood and Craig McRae’s love for Jack Silvagni lead to a third-generation Carlton figure leaving the club. The Blues are struggling and it’s an uncertain time. Fans are disgruntled and impatient. New leadership has taken over and for incoming CEO Graham Wright it would be a good start to get free agent Silvagni re-signed. Carlton can’t lose an A-grade one-on-one defender after a near-on 10-year journey when he’s finally settled into a permanent position. Get his signature Wrighty, or that fan base will be even more restless.

7 Memo to the AFL: play should not be stopped every time we have an injured player who is not affecting the play. We saw this happen late in Friday’s epic clash between the Crows and Hawks, when the umpire stopped play so Will Day could walk from the field. This needs to be adjusted ASAP. As I said a few weeks ago in this column, this will be exploited to halt opposition momentum late in a tight finals game.

8 There are some great 1-2 midfield combos in the competition but none better than Noah Anderson and Matt Rowell. Both play the right way and are exceptional leaders. Both thrive on the contest and play attacking and defensively — Rowell is second in the comp for tackles. The Suns are on the way to September for the first time and if they can win all their remaining games, which they will start favourites in, they can finish top four.

9 It’s always good to know as a coach that you have a run-with player that can shut down the oppositions best midfielder. You don’t need it every week, but in finals you almost-certainly will. Not all teams have a player capable of executing the role. Cats coach Chris Scott have Irishman Oisin Mullin. He did the job beautifully on Port superstar Zac Butters last week, keeping him to 10 disposals. It might be Dons skipper Zach Merrett tomorrow night. If the Cats were to face the Pies in a final, Scott would be confident Mullin could at nullify Nick Daicos.

10 What a game we have to start round 22 tonight with the Magpies taking on Hawthorn at the MCG. The Pies have suddenly gone from 10 points clear on top to the prospect of being outside the top four with a loss in this game. While for the Hawks a defeat could mean dropping out of the eight. Both of these teams look a little light through the midfield, while the form of skipper Darcy Moore is a big worry for the Pies. The Hawks can stretch this Pies defence with their tall forwards but I’m tipping Collingwood in a tight one They ain’t going to lose in Steele Sidebottom’s 350th — what a legend of a person and a player.