RICHO’S TOP 10: AFL free agency is not helping the struggling teams as stars move to other strong clubs

1 . There was a lot of talk last week about the inequality of the national draft and academy picks.

The draft needed an overhaul. A few small changes were made but not many clubs have spoken too positively about them. We have a bigger problem though and that is free agency. The simple fact is when most big-name stars come out of contract they are not going to the bottom clubs. Most want to win. Premiers Brisbane last year picked up Oscar Allen and Sam Draper. That doesn’t feel right does it? I’m thinking that Zak Butters and Zac Bailey won’t end up at a bottom-four club either. If I were Bailey I’d be staying at the Lions just quietly. Free agency is a bigger driver of inequality at the moment, so the league needs to look at a way of making it fairer.

2. This next point is going to sound like I’m contradicting the last.

But this is a one off. The signing by the PNG Chiefs of NRL star Jarome Luai as their inaugural signing may have come as a surprise in rugby league circles. It’s a big move from Western Sydney to Port Moresby. Of course, large financial remuneration helps. Clearly Luai is buying into the vision of the new franchise. This comes as music to my ears. The Tasmania Devils sceptics will have you believe players won’t want to move to little, quiet Hobart. Hobart has more to offer than Port Moresby. The Devils will get a signing of the same calibre as Luai. Money will be involved and plenty of it. But whomever the AFL superstar that signs with Tassie is, they will be buying into the vision of Tassie’s first AFL side and the amazing lifestyle it brings as well.

3. Tonight is the game of the round.

This is Fremantle’s biggest test since the Cats at Geelong in Opening Round in a game they probably should have held on to win. If they win this it really solidifies them as a top- four team. The key for me in this game is the ability of Freo’s tall forwards to negate the Hawthorn intercepting backs. If you neutralise this and get it to ground the Hawks can be exposed. The other watch in this game is at centre throw-up. Hawthorn exposed the Pies last week in this area. Fremantle have the players in the middle, most notably Shai Bolton, who can take this away from the Hawks. I can’t wait for tonight.

4. There is absolutely nothing controversial about the Brisbane whiteboard controversy.

Opposition analysis is standard procedure in the AFL and all sports. This includes listing the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition’s players. Some of these are harsh, but most likely fair and the opinion of most other clubs. Players should know their own weaknesses and the Essendon players I suggest would not be that surprised at what was on that Brisbane whiteboard. This is a ruthless, high stakes professional sport. If when I was playing, I read on an opposition whiteboard that I could be fragile mentally when having a shot at goal I would know that is one hundred per cent true. Listing former Lion Jaxon Prior’s partner as his only strength was one Brisbane would not do if they had their time over again and have said as much. Chris Fagan would be annoyed this got out and the only issue in this is the lapse in security around the Brisbane facility to allow someone to photograph this and for it to get onto social media.

5. Just on Brisbane.

They are getting rolling and its scary for the competition. This is not an old team and there is still plenty of improvement in them. If they are switched on and hungry then they can do what is nearly impossible and achieve a three-peat. The thing that separates them from the pack is the spread of goal kickers they have. They have scored 127 and 143 points in their past two games. You just never know with them who’s going to get you. They have five to six guys every week that can kick multiple goals. Against the Bombers on Saturday Logan Morris, Kai Lohman and Zac Bailey all kicked four goals each. Next week it might be Cam Raynor or Charlie Cameron to do that. They are an offensive force.

6. Leigh Matthews is famous for saying that coaches are judged by the cattle (players) they have.

Looking around the AFL the coach getting the most out of their cattle is Craig McRae. The Pies are never out of a game and are defensively well organised. Experts often say it’s what you get out of the bottom five to six players on your team that counts from week to week. To me McRae gets the best out of each player he has. He has to be close to the best coach in the competition.

7. I’ve been sucked into this debate again; it happens every year and I promise this is the last time I will get involved.

We do not need extra games during the home- and-away season. We haven’t needed it for 150 years. The idea of a long and gruelling 23-game season is to accumulate enough points to secure a finals spot. The two points you get for a draw may well be the difference in getting a top-four spot and a double chance or not. Ditto for the top 8 or top 10 we have now. Enough with the changes please. End of story. I’m out of this one.

8. What is the best game in the world.

Soccer, basketball, American football, cricket or baseball? I enjoy watching all of these sports. But after last weekend’s Thursday night game and the two Friday night games there can be no doubt to me Australian rules is number one by far. Every game went down to the wire. Sometimes with the amount of media scrutiny we give this game we can tend to lean towards the negative. It’s easy to be negative at times. Those three games were a fantastic showcase for our game and showed why it’s the best sport on the planet.

9. The Swans are top of the ladder and flying.

When you are a team like Sydney and play finals every season you don’t get access to top 10-draft picks. So, you need to go and look at other teams’ lists and see if you can pinch a player here and there. You could call them the “Moneyball” picks. They nailed two of those in the off-season, Jai Serong from the Hawks, who couldn’t get a game with just 10 played in four years, and Malcolm Rosas, who had played 49 games in five years at the Suns. Both have played every game this year and have made the Swans a better team. Great recruiting by Sydney.

10. It’s about this time every year as winter dawns on us soon that I get jealous of people heading off for a European summer holiday.

Then the ensuing Instagram pics rub it in. So, to alleviate the pain I start thinking of a bucket list trip I’d like to take. Normally to a sporting event. This year’s trip for me would be to Wembley Stadium for The Battle of Britain heavyweight fight between Anthony Joshua and “The Gypsy King” Tyson Fury. Yes, both are past their best, but this has been a long time in the making and a full Wembley with 90,000 mostly Brits will be an incredible sporting exper- ience. The atmosphere will be incredible. The singing, the chants and probably a few ales will make it a night to remember. The British fight fans just do it better. The lead- up promotion will be fun as well. He does it well the Gypsy King. Maybe, just maybe, I’ll try and get there. In my dreams!