MATTHEW RICHARDSON’S TOP 10: Adem Yze is no AFL cheerleader for coaching the Richmond Tigers from the bench

1. Katy Perry has been announced as the grand final entertainment.

While not my genre of music I think she will be great. She has enough monster hits everyone in the audience will know and be able to sing along to. My four-year-old daughter is pumped so I might have to sneak her in. If I could have a bucket list choice it would be AC/DC, though that’s not going to happen.

2. There has been some criticism off Adem Yze coaching from the bench in this tough year for Richmond.

He was called a cheerleader by one media commentator. What a lot of crap. Two of the last three premiership coaches coached from the bench in Simon Goodwin and Craig McRae. Low hanging fruit.

3. One from the grumpy old man dinosaur to go with no wild card finals round from last week’s column, is a no to on names on the back of AFL jumpers.

This is not the NBA.

4. We have a rising star award like most professional sports codes for our best rookie.

Why not have a veteran award for the over-30s. Only the elite survive into their 30s in this competition as it’s such a demanding sport. My best five senior citizens this season are Lachie Neale, Max Gawn, Adam Treloar, Jeremy Cameron and, the oldest in this bunch at 35-years-old, Dayne Zorko.

5. What a great news story the Hawks are.

They will most likely play finals and they could they even win it. It’s being led by a new dynamic mosquito fleet in the forward half that is dynamic and proving impossible to contain. Lead by the veteran Luke Bruest, the quartet of Jack Ginnivan, Connor MacDonald, Dylan Moore and Nick Watson are firing on all cylinders. The Blues had the mosquito fleet in the early 1980s and the Tigers had one when they won a flag in 2017.

6. The Saints have finally found some mojo.

The put a nail in the coffin of Essendon’s finals chances last week. Ross Lyon said he wanted to be the grinch and spoil opponents’ finals chances. Another scalp awaits at Marvel Stadium this Sunday. Brisbane wants a home Gabba qualifying final. A loss to the Grinch and his Saints will hurt those chances big time.

7. When you think marks I think the big key forwards.

I’m biased. So when checking the top-ten mark-takers in the AFL I was distressed to only see one key forward. Joe Daniher was in ninth position with 132. Who’s the No.1 mark taker - his teammate Dayne Zorko. What is going on. Different game these days.

8. Last week GWS’s Tom Green was fined for having an opinion on the MRO and tribunal system.

Maybe his choice of words was a bit strong. He could have said the same thing differently. But surely we can’t be silencing players for having a say on big issues in the game? Let’s hear what they have to say, warts and all.

9. Tyson Stengle proved he is a real match-winner with next to no time on the clock.

He kicked two goals in two minutes late in the third quarter against North Melbourne last Saturday. Both goals were top shelf. North we’re challenging but the Cats ran away with it. After reading what happened at the weekend, I hope he is OK as looks like the club is getting around him.

10. Kevin Bartlett used to say that he and Michael Tuck had the annual 400-club get together in a phone box.

KB must be looking for a new venue now as the group grows to six this week. Scott Pendlebury joins KB, Tucky, Silk Burgoyne, Boomer Harvey and Dustin Fletcher. What a game to bring it up in against the Blues. The ultimate is perhaps Collingwood’s best ever.