RICHO’S TOP 10: Collingwood will need to blunt Brisbane’s attack in 2023 AFL grand final rematch at Gabba

1. At 0-5 it really can’t get any worse for Melbourne at the moment.

They have great players out of form, a system that has completely broken down and seemingly no confidence. The biggest problem by a country mile they face is going inside the forward 50. Their best score was 74 against GWS in the first round. Since then they’ve had scores of 66,62, 46,and 57 – it’s simply not good enough if you want to compete with the best teams on the scoreboard. I can’t see them winning against Freo this week which makes the Anzac Day eve Thursday night blockbuster against the Tigers the absolute D-Day for Simon Goodwin’s career.

2. Another terrific Gather Round in Adelaide which was strongly complimented by some cracking weather.

It was high scoring footy with every winning team kicking 100 plus points except the Bombers who were pretty close with 96 points. The Crows-Cats game got the round off to super start and then the Port-Hawks finale made sure it finished with some real drama. The beautiful new venue in the Barossa was a great addition to the event. I know other states would love Gather Round, especially my home state of Tassie once the Devils are up and running, but I really can’t see how it would work as well somewhere else. It’s an Adelaide’s event and it should stay there’s for the foreseeable future.

3. We turn our attention now to Easter weekend and it starts tonight with an absolute cracker at the Gabba.

Brisbane are humming. They have an attack with five to six players capable of kicking multiple goals. They haven’t even played their best footy yet which is pretty scary for the rest of the AFL competition. The Lions are up against Dad’s Army in the form of the Pies who have won four on the trot. The round finishes on Monday with the traditional Geelong-Hawthorn clash. The Hawks are coming of a little hiccup after surrendering to Port in what became a very fiery affair, while the Cats are red-hot after that epic comeback win against the Crows.

4. I loved Bailey Smith sticking up for his skipper Patrick Dangerfield on Friday night at the Adelaide Oval.

Players are not robots. Danger was copping it from one, very focal fan. It’s time fans stopped leaning over the fence to abuse players. A bit of friendly banter is fine but we have seen too much of this nasty abuse lately from a very small percentage of fans. Grow up I say as it’s a family environment at AFL games. I love the passion and commitment Bailey is showing for his new club. He is playing fantastic footy as well.

5. There’s been talk that some of the big Melbourne clubs are circling Port Adelaide superstar Zac Butters.

This guy plays with his heart on his sleeve and was a massive in the win over the Hawks. He has a head as a cat’s head, wins the ball on the inside and outside of the ground and has a beautiful. soft touch kick. Port need to resign him ASAP as he is at the age where a Melbourne club will offer him seven to eight years on huge coin. Zac has a tough decision to make pretty soon.

6. It’s hard to see where the Eagles improvement is coming from.

They appear to be getting worse not better. The differential in key areas against Carlton were not AFL standard, -140 possessions, -38 inside 50s. But the engine room is the biggest problem, -22 clearances and unbelievably -59 contested possessions. A win appears a long way off for the long-suffering Eagles fans.

7. I really feel for the Tigers first year forward Harry Armstrong after he did his hamstring at training.

He is now out of action for at least 12 weeks. With Tiger veteran Tom Lynch down on form it’s a double whammy. Armstrong had kicked multiple goals in two of his four games. Sport is cruel sometimes.

8. I have a new favourite player.

Big Josh Treacy from the Dockers. Kicked six snags against the Tigers in the Barossa. He loves launching into packs, has great hands and is a reliable kick. He is the joint leader for the Coleman Medal with Sun Ben King. The Dockers have their “Pea” inside 50 for the next decade.

9. I was very fortunate to attend The Masters over the weekend.

It’s just an unbelievable sporting experience. For Rory Mcilroy to break a 10 year majors drought and become only the sixth player to win all four majors was an incredible effort. To be there was absolutely surreal. To win in a playoff after dropping shots in the back nine was an incredible performance from the Northern Irishman. You could almost see mental demons sitting on his shoulder telling him he couldn’t do it during that that playoff putt to win. But he nailed it and his emotion response to the win said it all. It was spine tingling stuff.

10. Here are some quirky Masters facts for you.

The TV coverage just doesn’t do the undulation of the greens and fairways any justice at all. It’s much more more hilly than you expect. There are absolutely no sponsorship signs anywhere, none of the food costs more $3 and you cannot take phones or cameras onto the course. Not having a smartphone buzzing at you or pinging every two seconds really makes you stay in the moment. The Masters merchandise can only be bought on course over the four days and despite the short sale time they manage to sell $80 million dollars worth of it. It’s just an incredible experience. All the volunteers that work on course wear yellow hats and as a reward they then get to play the course as a reward after the event.