1. I know Jagga Smith has won the Rising Star and rightly so, what a season he put together after sitting out his first year with an ACL injury. But gee, his Carlton teammate in Harry Dean had to have been a good option as well.

Playing key back and doing what he has done this year is outstanding. This kid is a competitive beast. He hates getting beaten in any contest and has a hard, tough edge about him. Playing as a key defender at 18 is a lot harder than playing midfield, that’s for sure. Harry will play over 250 games, I have no doubt. If someone had voted for him over Smith, I wouldn’t argue the case at all. As a side note, I think the Rising Star should be for first-year players only.

2. This would have sounded outrageous a few months ago but maybe, just maybe, the Blues can go deep into September.

It’s not outrageous anymore. They have always been strong in the contest and have now added the high possession game into their style. Since Josh Fraser took over, they are the best ball movement team in the competition. 10 wins, a draw and only 2 losses leading into the finals has given them serious momentum as well. They have also beaten Fremantle and Brisbane in that run. The finals fairytale is most definitely alive for Carlton fans.

3. As for Melbourne, it’s been an incredible year. They are a bit stiff to not be having a rest after falling to 7th. Can they regroup and halt the Blues momentum?

The key for Melbourne, apart from their superstars in Gawn and Pickett is going to be impact from their group of key and medium forwards . Don’t forget their best tall forward all season Jacob van Rooyen is suspended. It’s a huge loss. As we write this column, I’m not sure what this mix looks like. But they will need Harrison Petty, the old retiring Tom McDonald, Matthew Jefferson (if he gets up) and Bayley Fritsch to all hit the scoreboard. If one of these guys can kick four and they get 8-9 as a group, the Demons are a high chance to win. But as I said, if they go out in a wildcard game, it will feel a little like an opportunity lost after the season they put together. Let’s hope that loss to the Western Bulldogs in round 24 doesn’t prove very costly for Dees fans.

4. Speaking of momentum, the back-to-back premiers have it, winning 10 of their last 11.

With Fremantle losing two of their past three games and both those losses in Victoria, I have the Brisbane Lions as the premiership favourites now. Clearly they have the September experience that Fremantle just doesn’t have. Those last two losses have got to be a mental factor if the Dockers get back to the MCG for the grand final. Brisbane holds no fears on any ground. The fact that they will play a depleted Swans in a qualifying final has clearly helped the Lions as well. A three-peat could be on the way and would put this squad under Chris Fagan into rare air, like the Brisbane teams from 2001-2003 and the Hawks from 2013-2015.

5. Logan Morris is going to be one of the great draft steals of all time at pick 31.

He simply gets better every time you see him play. If you re-did that draft now, he would be right near the top of that list with Harley Reid and Nick Watson. He is now the youngest forward since Jeremy Cameron to kick 60 goals in a season. Jezza did that as a 20 -year-old in 2013. That’s good company. Cameron will go past 800 goals next season. The thing he does better than almost every forward in the game is read the flight of the ball off the boot very quickly. This allows him to get into the best position to mark the ball. At 191cm, he needs this skill as he is often playing on guys up to 8-9cm taller. Cameron is an automatic Hall of Famer. At this early stage, I’m predicting Morris can follow him one day. Early call but I’m confident on it. Pick 31, what a bargain.

6. Arty Jones from the Western Bulldogs is an absolute beauty.

Small forwards that apply pressure but more importantly hit the scoreboard as well are worth their weight in gold. This is a tough position to play as you are rarely the targeted player inside 50. You are feeding off scraps week in, week out. Arty is out of contract and must be in demand. You hear that Brisbane are circling in case Zac Bailey leaves as a free agent. The Dogs must get his signature. He is an infectious, likeable personality as well. You need guys at your club like Arty. Sign him up, Doggies.

7. Ben King looks bound for Hawthorn and this is not a surprise at all. He has always talked about ending up back in Melbourne at some stage.

He will be a great replacement as the deepest forward long term, once Jack Gunston finishes up. Ben should use next year and learn as much about forward craft from Gunston, as they say you are never too old to learn. Jack has the best craft in the game. The Hawks also have Mitch Lewis stitched up on a new deal. Mabior Chol is also a regular senior forward. Surely this means Calsher Dear should play the market. It’s been a tough year for him and he hasn’t played much, only five games. But in his first two seasons, he showed he could play at the level. There should be a number of clubs asking Calsher’s management the question.

8. There have been a lot of enigmas in our game and the departing Giant Jake ‘The Package’ Stringer is most certainly one of them.

Jake has indicated he wants to come back to Victoria to be closer to family. That means a fourth club is on the horizon. Would your club take Jake? His form this year was pretty good. He kicked 48 goals with bags of five, five, six and seven. Only four other players this year have kicked four or more bags of five goals. Statistically, as far as goals go, this has been his second-best season. Would the Pies top up their scoring power? St Kilda will be desperate to play finals in 2027, would they roll the dice? Jake will be 32 at start of season. Hasn’t lost any power. This is an interesting watch in the next few months.

9. I think Mark McVeigh is an excellent choice to be the next coach of the Essendon Football Club.

Mark has been in the coaching system now for 13 years in various roles, from development to senior assistant roles across all lines at GWS and Sydney. Don’t forget he sat in the hot seat as caretaker coach at the Giants for 13 games in 2022 as well. He has been at those two clubs in years they made grand finals. He has seen what a successful footy departments looks like. Well done to the Essendon board who have clearly run a proper, thorough process. He is also a former Bombers player and knows the Essendon culture. Great appointment.

10. Good fun at Marvel Stadium tonight. The Four n Twenty Legends game is back.

It was a great success in its comeback last year after a bit of a sabbatical, like a lot of things after COVID. One of the reasons it was so successful was getting some younger, new media influencers involved. The younger crew in the crowd and at home watching on TV loved their involvement. But the main reason was the buy-in from genuine superstars of the game. They are back tonight at Marvel. Listen to these names; Buddy, Dusty, Gaz Junior, Swanny, Fevola. Going to be great fun. Make sure you tune in on Channel 7. It’s always an entertaining night.