“Perceptions of peaking at the right time fuel self belief; they are mutually reinforcing concepts … opposition teams make riskier game plans when their next opponent is perceived to be peaking at the right time.”

Brian Murtha, ‘Peaking at the right time: Perceptions, expectations, and effects’ (2013) 120(1) Organizational behaviour and human decision processes 62 at 68

5 Best:

1. Luke ‘Victor Echo Romeo Yankee Mike Alpha Delta’ Fogarty chucking the greatest dummy spit of all time in Q3 after getting pinged for holding the ball in very dubious circumstances #noprioropportunitysurely #malbrownstyle
2. Todd ‘Metamucil’ McLeod retaining the coveted Club XVIII div 3 Coleman Medal
3. Kicking more goals than points for the first time this season #ithinkthisisactuallytrue
4. Robbo Carlos a.k.a. the French Bulldog slotting a couple from down town in Q3
5. The ‘double eclipse’ – Hamo and Todd both dishing off inside the forward 50 to set up Mitch Piazza D’oro
6. The imminent return from injury of some quality amateur footballers: The Quietest Achiever T Clarke, Spanish Armada de Nataris, Travers ‘White Paper’ McLeod, Mainstream Reid et al
7. NOBs attracting its largest crowd since the 2012 prelim against MGOB (8 people): Clinchy’s Dad, Paul Mayfield, Ed Mayfield, Cath Ivesy’s missus, Yarra the Customs Lab, Amalia Clinch, Tim Wright and Dr Tim ‘Brokeback Mountain’ Bayles
8. Last week, Julian ‘The Rug’ O’Dowd proposing to fiancé Kelly on the Melbourne Star ferris wheel in a VIP observation cabin but getting the ring size wrong

5 Worst:

1. The state of affairs of not being sure whether it’s better to have a week off or have to play a prelim
2. Fixie Pascoe’s controversial decision to fly to Denver before the GF #matesbeforesolarcells
3. Sam ‘Enigma’ O’Connell continuing to play hard to get with the selectors #passionateemails
4. Tony ‘John Snow’ Pick straining a pectoral muscle in the first quarter after kicking his only goal for the season
5. The O’Halloran brothers being related to the green ump who made up the rule about starting off with 3 inside the square

The protocol from now on is a bit like a Labor election campaign. Faceless men will gather for conclave at a Korean BBQ destination in North Melbourne. A finals strategy and evocative narrative will be adopted. The underdog will prevail.