RICHO’S TOP 10: AFL should not change deliberate out of bounds rule but instead have umpires adjudicate better

1. There are a lot of things that need addressing next season, but the two changes I heard the most the last week are the two I could not disagree with more.

Firstly, we don’t need a wildcard round as I have previously written and secondly the AFL doesn’t need to change the rule from deliberate out of bounds to last touch. The proposed change would mean the deliberate out of bounds rule would still apply between the 50-metre arcs in the middle of the ground. But I think the rule should stay as it is and the umpires should adjudicate it more sharply. Otherwise, we will have far fewer boundary throw-ins which would be a tragedy as it’s one of the unique features of our game. There has been an argument that waiting for the ruckmen to get in position for a throw-in is slowing the game down, but there are plenty of other ways to speed up play without taking away from our game’s history and tradition. It also diminishes a key positional player in our ruckmen.

2. Is equalisation working to make the competition fairer via the salary cap, national draft, free agency and academies?

When you look at who we have as the final four teams you might think not. Over the last 25 years there have been 50 grand finalists, 25 of those teams have been Geelong, Hawthorn, Collingwood and Brisbane. It may not please the fans of teams who rarely make September or if they do are bundled out quickly, but these clubs deserve their sustained success. They have been well run over long periods and are great at retaining players and recruiting those that are not fulfilling their potential elsewhere — Bailey Smith is a case in point. Yes 15 clubs have made a grand final in that time period, but these four clubs know how to pace themselves throughout the year and fire when the time is right. You could throw the Swans into that mix despite their recent poor form on grand final day. These are the benchmark clubs that others need to imitate.

3. On this topic, yes you must use your draft picks well and yes you have to then develop those players well, but you have to land the odd free agent by picking the eyes out of opposition teams’ lists.

The final four teams have done this perfectly. The Hawks have eight players from other clubs, the Cats seven, Brisbane five and the Pies seven. This is great list management and most importantly a large percentage of these players have become much better players at their new teams. Says a lot about the four clubs’ front and back office.

4. Wow what a weekend at the G it is going to be with 199,000 fans over two days.

There’s no clear favourite in either game. So many questions to be answered on the field. Does the one game in four weeks hurt the Pies or Cats? No would be my answer as they are the two most experienced teams in the competition. Does the battled hardened route mean the Hawks or Brisbane will be tired? No for Brisbane as they were in this position just 12 months ago and we know the result from there. I would also say the Hawks will not be tired even though this is a first for this team as coach Sam Mitchell is a winner with an extremely high level of self-belief. He installs this in his group. So in saying that I always stick with the teams that got to the preliminary finals first but these are genuine 50/50 prelims. I am tipping the Cats by 18 points and Pies by 10. Bring on tomorrow night.

5. There are a couple of magnets that go up on the whiteboard first at each football club.

They are the players the coach trusts the most and will do anything that is asked of them. When you get down to the last four teams there are probably a few more of these magnets but I’ll pick one from each team. For the Cats it’s Tom Atkins, a tackling machine who makes Max Holmes and Smith that much better. For the Lions I think it’s Josh Dunkley, very similar to Atkins and just laid a finals record 19 tackles against the Suns. At the Hawks it’s Blake Hardwick. During the last two months he has completely blanketed whomever he’s played on and at the Pies whenever Beau McCreery plays you know he sets the scene for their suffocating pressure game.

6. In the NFL they have a comeback player of the year.

If we awarded this in the AFL it would go to the Hawks’ Jack Gunston. What an extraordinary season he has had in 2025. In a game where there are fewer lead-mark forwards he is currently putting on a master class. He and the Giants’ Jesse Hogan are a dying breed of the roll up forward lines and fast break back to goals. If you want to see some great forward craft, constant movement and high-level footy IQ go on display go and watch Gunston play. What a season.

7. I am still upbeat about the Devils despite the Tasmanian Planning Commission report this week that says the stadium should not be built.

It will happen as both major parties are behind it, most importantly the Liberal-led minority government. Nathan Buckley is clearly the right man for the job and looks certain to take it. Another big step forward for the Tasmanian club with is their entry in the VFL and VFLW from 2026. It’s getting real now for the Devils, and I hope the people on the ground in Tassie that were doubters are starting to be more positive and the whole state unites behind the team. You can touch and smell it now. Well done to Brendon Gale and his entire team. Here come the Devils and a roofed state of the art stadium.

8. Steven King is the right man to resurrect Melbourne’s fortunes. King has been a senior assistant for 15 years.

He was at the Dogs when they won the flag in 2016. He then had a taste of senior coaching as a caretaker coach at the Gold Coast in 2023 and was impressive in the role. Then the former Cats captain and premiership player returned to Geelong and got more experience under probably the best coach in the game Chris Scott. He could still be a key part of the Cats’ success these next two weeks. King ticks all the boxes. As Goody said when he left Melbourne’s list is still very solid with plenty of kids blooded in 2025. King will be JUan excellent senior coaching.

9. The Crows and the Suns will still be down and although it’s always disappointing to bow out of finals it’s been a successful season for both.

The Crows and the Suns both raised the bar from 15th to 1st for the Crows and 13th to a historic first finals victory for the Suns. What’s missing for both teams to go better in 2026? For the Crows it’s some more run and burst in the midfield and ground level in the forward 50. Most Adelaide fans would say that’s Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele. That’s right but when they were not playing the depth was thin in that area. For the Suns I think it is more development of their list and another year playing under Damien Hardwick’s system. He knows how to get players playing at their best. It won’t be easy as both their draws will be harder.

10. Craig Bellamy and the Melbourne Storm are a phenomenal story as they get ready for yet another preliminary final.

This is their ninth preliminary in 10 years. He must be the best coach in Australian sport. Now I will admit I don’t follow the NRL closely, but I follow the Storm. Do the Sydney NRL media dislike the Storm being so successful? It really appears obvious to me. Am I right or wrong?