RICHO’S TOP 10: North Melbourne need to put Harry Sheezel, Kane Cornes issue behind them against Essendon

1. Suddenly there is a fair bit of focus on the two games to kick off round eight.

Tonight will be very interesting after the North ban of Kane Cornes from the pre-game Alastair Clarkson interview and the ridiculous ban of three weeks given to Paul Curtis. Both Luke Parker and Curtis himself have had cheeky digs at the AFL for this decision, with Parker likening the AFL to touch football. These issues need to be put to the side and the focus has to be how the Roos can beat the Bombers. North has to start letting its footy do the talking starting tonight.

On Friday night St Kilda will need to find the form that saw them upset the Cats as they take on Fremantle in Melbourne. Ross Lyon has been in the news for his fiery exchange with Riley Garcia on the bench last Sunday. I played in an age where these sprays were common. I didn’t mind a spray. It got me going but it doesn’t work for others. The coach needs to understand the personality he’s dealing with. Times have changed but surely the odd heated exchange is OK. I expect a response from the Saints after a disastrous showing against the Lions last round. Then we have a couple of ripping games on the weekend. The first being the Crows and Blues at Adelaide Oval. The Crows are looking to rebound and the Blues have won three in a row.

The Blues are suddenly humming and I feel their tall timber in the forward line will be too much for the Crows to contain. Harry McKay was brilliant last week which was great to see. The Blues will be officially back in the hunt with a fourth straight win. The Cats and Pies clash is another match I can’t wait to watch. This is all about Jack Crisp breaking Jim Stynes’ consecutive games record. It will be his 245th game in a row and I can’t see his new record being broken. I think if the Pies contain Max Holmes, like the Blues did last week, they will have too much run for the Cats and will stay atop the AFL ladder.

2. I have written about Nick Larkey’s exploits in this column before.

Specifically, about his goal kicking accuracy and routine. He showed last Saturday against Port that even the best players can get the yips. The yips are real in sports. I know that as well as anyone. That little voice of doubt in your head is hard to master at times. I don’t think it will last for Nick. Ian Baker-Finch, the Australian golfer who won the British Open, famously retired after one of the biggest cases of the yips ever. From 1994 to 1997 he missed an extraordinary 32 cuts in a row in tournament play. He then retired early having not been able to get his nerve back.

3. When you change rules or interpretations of rules regularly it’s going to lead to confusion.

Confusion for fans and players and most importantly for the umpires that have to adjudicate them. I think players are getting very confused about the 15-metre kick rule. Marks are sometimes still being paid for kicks clearly less than 15 metres, while some are not. So does an opposition player then try and tackle the marking player for a kick clearly less than 15 metres or not? If he does and it’s judged a 15-metre kick he’s then giving away a 50-metre penalty for impeding the player that’s taken the mark. You get what I’m saying? You’re probably as confused as I am about this.

4. Who is the best ruckman of all time?

It’s impossible to say as it’s very hard to compare eras. Jack Dyer in the 1930s and 40s, plenty of names in the 1960s and 70s such as John Nicholls, Polly Farmer, Len Thompson and Gary Dempsey. Simon Madden also stood out to me in the 1980s plus he also kicked 570 goals. Just insane numbers. The list goes on in the 1990s and 00s. Max Gawn has a strong resume to be included right near the top of that list. Maybe even the very top. The Demons skipper has played 231 games and has 7652 hit outs and 836 clearances, many of which are hugely influential to his team’s success. And he has won a flag of course.

5. You have to admire St Kilda’s Jack Higgins.

He has come back from serious brain surgery he suffered while playing at Richmond to be equal second with Josh Treacy in the Coleman medal race behind Jesse Hogan. As natural a small forward as you can find. No player in the competition can sense a turnover and win the race back to goal quicker than Jack. He is a great crumber and can win the ball on the lead as well. If you want to be a small forward go to a Saints game and watch his work rate. He thoroughly deserves the rewards he’s getting.

6. Scoring is up on average this year, which is great news for footy fans.

The average score by each team in 2025 is 87 points per game. Back in 2021 that average score was 79 and this is the highest scoring season on average since 2017. AFL HQ would be happy with those figures.

7. Fine wine.

I’m not a big wine connoisseur but I do know that Steele Sidebottom is seemingly getting better with age. It’s a big call but off the back of his second Anzac Day medal I think he can go on for a lot longer than most people expect. His role on the wing seemed doomed with quicker lighter models taking vogue. A move back into the midfield and boom, he’s back in business. His smarts and ball use remain elite. He had 22 contested possessions and a career high 15 clearances. Look out Benjamin Button.

8. We hear the term footy IQ a bit these days.

What is it? I interpret it as a player that makes the right decisions at the right time, then executes well. Go through your team and give a tick or cross to the players that fit this definition. The Cats teams between 2007-2011 get a lot of ticks. Right now not many crosses in the Collingwood 23. Clearly they are now premiership favourites.

9. The Bulldogs are 4-3 with a committed young team playing hard for Bevo.

I will never understand his critics as he continues to defy the odds against him. The Dogs had seven players with less than 20 games in the team that easily beat GWS last weekend. The win was made even sweeter by the fact it came a week after their superstar in the making, Sam Darcy, went down with a crippling knee injury that will have him out for months. Plus the Jamara saga was lingering on but that now appears to have a line under it with Ugle-Hagan taking leave from the club. The performances this year that have the Bulldogs in the eight say to me the players love Bevo. They believe in their coach’s messaging. The Dogs need to re-sign him ASAP.

10. Chad Warner committing to the Swans is great news for the club and its fans.

West Coast and Fremantle had tabled big deals but Warner’s new two-year deal takes him through to the end of the 2027 season. Players like Chad are critical to the way footy is being played in 2025. He is a line breaker that can take the ball from in close to the outside. But the best thing he does is kick goals. A goal a game is elite for a midfielder. You can’t lose players with his superstar quality.