1. A Friday night semifinal at Optus Stadium and the Dockers are desperate to avoid what the Crows did last year and that’s to go out in straight sets.

It seemed unfathomable 5-6 weeks ago. The Dockers were red-hot and at the very least, a preliminary final seemed inevitable. This is a cut-throat game now against a very experienced, supremely-coached Cats side.

Momentum is everything in footy and the Cats are on a seven-game winning streak. Freo is spluttering to a halt losing three of their last four. The Freo home crowd won’t bother Geelong, they have just won in front of a lopsided Blues crowd of 96,000 at the MCG.

My single biggest factor in this game is the Freo key forwards Josh Treacy, Jye Amiss and Pat Voss. At the very minimum, get the ball to ground against the Cats master interceptors in Tom Stewart, Connor O’Sullivan and Jack Henry. Stewart and Henry had 19 intercepts between them last week.

The Freo keys must, and I think will, bounce back. If they do, the Dockers can make that preliminary final. If not, the Cats will be there, like most years under Chris Scott. Let’s go!

2. The Hawks are sitting pretty at home this weekend in Melbourne.

Resting up recovering and watching their potential opponents go at it hard in a cut-throat semifinal. A preliminary final at the G ahead again for the most successful club of the last 60 years.

They deserve it after a defensive masterclass against the Dockers. This was a complete performance by a team that is prepared as well as anyone under Sam Mitchell. We know each player has a role to carry out. Under Mitchell, I feel every player has complete clarity on what they need to do to perform that role in the teams structure.

Add that into a team that is in the right age bracket, has experience and has enough A-grade stars, then you know you’re in it against every team most weeks. Will start a preliminary final as favourites next weekend and deservedly so.

3. The Sydney Swans will host a preliminary final after beating the Brisbane Lions. Against all odds, without five automatic selections out suspended.

Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and Nick Blakey are probably their best three players. Plus, they lost their captain in Callum Mills halfway through the first quarter with an ACL injury. Most pundits, and to be honest most footy tipster,s didn’t give them a chance against Brisbane last week.

How wrong could everyone have been? This looks like a group that are galvanized and united to pull something huge off against the odds. The other thing it proves is that a well-drilled team with a very solid game plan can still win with talent missing. One in, one out philosophy. Play your role and bring huge pressure.

They suffocated and took away the Lions’ kick-mark, controlled game style early and then the heavens opened and that was the game with a good lead. This was a well-planned, well-coached win and you have to love how their leaders played. James Rowbottom, Errol Gulden, Brodie Grundy and Tom Papley all stepped up. They now await the Cats or Dockers at the SCG next weekend.

4. If Nick Blakey wants to be traded, he will be wanted by nearly every club in the AFL.

Pending, of course, the outcome of the Victoria Police investigation. He is simply the blue-chip run-and-carry player from the back half that is critical to every game plan. He is the best in this role in the game. He turns defence into attack quicker than anyone. He doesn’t just receive handballs either, he can intercept mark very well also. The race to get ‘The Lizard’ will be a hot one.

5. In the other semi at the Gabba on Saturday night, I think the Lions will respond at home.

It’s kind of déjà vu for this enigma of a team. They had a shocker against the Swans last week. They have had a few of those games this year and responded. They know how to win flags from a semifinal having done it last year and in 2024. The only question is the motivation and desire of this group.

If they want it enough, they should win. The Crows have struggled in recent times against the Lions, but if Izak Rankine can play the way he has in the last few months and they can restrict Brisbane uncontested marks to less than 80, they can progress. If they don’t and Brisbane get control of tempo, they will move through to play the Hawks in a preliminary final and the three-peat will still be alive.

6. All over for the Western Bulldogs. Considering some major injuries and continuity issues, it was remarkable they were able to win 14 games, including a final.

I don’t think they could have done much more with the cards they were dealt They play finals every year under Luke Beveridge. After four rounds they looked a premiership contender but the knee injury to Sam Darcy was a dagger for the season. Then injuries to key defenders Rory Lobb and James O’Donnell left them exposed defensively.

It was a stop-start year. They never got fully going again. The areas they need to address are obvious. A key defender and another A-grade midfielder. That’s why they are chasing Jordan Butts and Zak Butters. Oh, and they get Darcy back. They also had seven debutants. Michael Sellwood the best of them as an intercept defender. They will play finals again next year.

7. What a ride it was for Carlton fans.

1-8 and a coach in Michael Voss sacked. 16 weeks later, you had gone on a ride that included 12 wins, a draw and three losses. Josh Fraser completely transformed a club in 4 months. A club now filled with complete optimism for 2027. All of a sudden, you have some generational young talent on your list in Jagga Smith and Harry Dean.

As well as another 3-4 extremely promising young players. The recruitment of Ollie Florent, Noah Ainsworth and Will Hayward added depth and reliability. The usual suspects in Patrick Cripps, Sam Walsh, George Hewett and Harry McKay finished the year rejuvenated and your possession style of play and ball movement is one that can have you seriously contending next season.

Carlton is a power club and no doubt will be a very strong choice for free agents moving forward . A destination club. What a ride 2026 was. Shame it’s come to an end.

8. The announcement that Opening Round is dead and buried for 2027 was music to nearly everyone’s ears.

Firstly, it was just round one with a different name. A silly one at that. Now we can engage every team and every supporter group all at the same time like we always should have. It seems lately the AFL is actually truly listening to the fans. Let’s hope this continues with a halt to rule changes for a while. Let’s let the game breathe.

9. Tell me any good reason why Mark and Goal of the Year is judged only on the home and any season.

This makes absolutely no sense at all. It has to include the finals. To me, a spectacular mark or goal could be rated higher than the equivalent in the regular season purely because of the extra pressure you are under in finals. For example, Leo Barry’s incredible match-saving mark in the 2005 grand final is better than a similar mark in round 20. I rest my case on that one example. Time to change this one, I think. Ridiculous.

10. I find it staggering that Matty Nicks was a chance to lose his job if the Crows didn’t win a final in 2026.

This is a man that has coached the most home and away wins the last two seasons. That was the report from Channel 7’s Tom Morris from a source within the Crows. I also don’t think Morris would go as strongly with that if it wasn’t credible. When the season ends, either this weekend or in three weeks’ time, they need to get up the bottom of whoever talked to Tom. You need to have everyone on the same page at footy clubs and if that’s true, it’s not a good situation for the Crows.