MATTHEW RICHARDSON’S TOP 10: Adam Treloar is rivalling Marcus Bontempelli to be the Western Bulldogs best

1 This tackling issue isn’t getting any clearer and it certainly isn’t going away anytime soon. I feel like there is a massive gulf in what the AFL thinks and what grassroots supporters think. An online poll last week asking what an appropriate suspension for Toby Bedford, above, received 17,000 votes – 12,000 people voted for no ban, 4000 for one week and the rest for two or three weeks. It’s pretty clear the public are frustrated with AFL House who are poles apart with fans on the state of the game.

2 Every team needs one. The fire-starter, the energiser, the barometer. That guy for the Crows is Ben Keays. Always gives 100 per cent and provides positive energy to his teammates as he plays the role the coach needs. Keays was enormous against Essendon last Friday with five goals to cap off a great month of footy. He deserves it. Coach Matty Nicks would love this team-first player.

3 The Bombers have lost five of their last seven games and are back in the pack chasing a finals berth. It’s D-Day for them on Saturday against St Kilda when only a win will do. If they don’t, they risk repeating the late-season fall of 2023. After the Saints they have Freo, the Suns, Sydney and the Lions at the Gabba. You would not want to rely on winning at the Gabbattoir in the last round to play in September.

4 It’s about this time of the season when you realise that someone is having an amazing season out of the blue. For me it’s Adam Treloar. Maybe he’s been recognised. Maybe I just missed it. He was huge against the Cats at GMHBA Stadium last Saturday. He could nudge Marcus Bontempelli out of a best-and-fairest gong at the Dogs.

5 I appreciate the minerals Jack Ginnivan has. Puts it out there and backs it up. His self-confidence and cheek is infectious at Hawthorn. The game needs more characters like him.

6 There’s a bit of talk about a wild-card weekend to start the finals like the NFL and NBA and extending the top 8 to 10 teams. I am not a fan of adding two more elimination games before the first week of finals. You already get 23 games to make the final eight. That’s enough. Plus, it’s another American thing. This is Aussie Rules. Call me an old stiff if JUyou want.

7 I wrote last week it felt like the West Coast coaching job was Dean Cox’s if he wanted it. He doesn’t. He’s very happy at the Swans. The Eagles can’t win a trick and are back to the drawing board after Port assistant Josh Carr, a former Docker, also said he wasn’t interested.

8 The competition has never been tighter with a new guard rising and three of the last four premiers sliding. The window has closed for Richmond (18th), Collingwood are (13th) and nearly done while Melbourne (10th) are in a precarious situation. The AFL will be pleased its equalisation strategies are working.

9 While the Masters gets more hype, my favourite major golf tournament is the British Open. The Scottish links courses topped with the European commentary make it brilliant to stay up late to watch. I’m a bit bleary-eyed this week.

10 The Olympics are here. What’s your favourite Olympic memory? Mine is easy as I was lucky enough to be there the spine-tingling night Cathy Freeman won the 400m at the Sydney 2000 Games. If you want to get in the mood for the next few weeks, go back and watch Cathy win gold and listen to Bruce McAvaney’s commentary.