RICHO’S TOP 10: Port Adelaide’s Dan Houston trade exposed as worst AFL move after Collingwood mauling

1. We can often get carried away with round one wins and losses.

How good that first win was or how a club’s season might be over after a bad loss. Carlton’s round one capitulation to the young Tigers really was one of those season-defining losses. They were 41 points up against the least experienced team in the competition and somehow managed to throw it away. So-called footy experts had the Tigers not winning a game this year, making the result even more of a nightmare for the Blues. They had to cancel a membership drive on radio the next day. But we move on quickly and tonight they can redeem themselves against premiership fancies Hawthorn. Win tonight and they are back on track but lose and the pressure mounts heading into the Bulldogs’ match at Marvel Stadium next week.

2. The Blues will need to dig deep to topple the Hawks who are building a fortress at the MCG having won their last seven games there by average of 49 points.

Their style of play and the personnel they have suits the ground perfectly and they know it. It’s big call but they may not lose there this season.

3. I’ve been a Richmond fan for 45 years and I’ve seen and experienced many ups and downs during that period.

The epic come-from-behind win over Carlton was the biggest upset I’ve seen. A work colleague of mine, journalist Tony Greenberg, has seen every Tigers game since 1965 and he said the same. It was a gritty tough win against the odds and didn’t the Tiger army love it? The win should put the ridiculous claim that Adem Yze has “no aura” to bed once and for all. The Richmond squad were clearly playing for Yze with the heart they showed, to record one of the club’s greatest triumphs.

4. It is ingrained in players from the earliest age to go hard at the ball and when they reach an elite level they are also asked to make important decisions in milliseconds.

Unfortunately, there are going to be serious collisions in our game. North’s Jackson Archer is very stiff and has every right feel aggrieved. As an industry we have ignored the opinion of almost every single past player that has commented on this clash and all the coaches, including the two involved in the game who said it was a horror accident. Something is out of whack when the tribunal takes no heed of this. To a man, all those who have been in similar situations at an AFL level thought Archer should have been given the benefit of the doubt. It’s a real pity he was not and it’s massive blow for the Roos as they try to forge a successful season after so much disappointment.

5. Very quick one.

There have been some big blunders over the years at some footy clubs, but Port Adelaide letting Dan Houston go with a year to go on his contract might end up ranking right up there with the worst in a few years. The two-time All-Australian defender was one of the Pies best as they flogged the Power at the MCG and none of the Port Adelaide players did much to make life difficult for their former teammate in the 91-point drubbing.

6. I wrote last week it would be interesting to see how the Bulldogs dealt with their biggest star out injured and another dominating the headlines about when he would play due to off-field issues.

It wasn’t easy last week but they withstood several North challenges and got the win. Without Marcus Bontempelli, Liam Jones, Cody Weightman, Adam Treloar, Jamarra Ugle-Hagan, and Jason Johannisen that was a solid start to the season. Now a bigger test arrives under the Friday night lights against the Pies. It is a home game for the Doggies as they mark 100 years as a club in the AFL-VFL. A win against Collingwood would set them up for 2025 with all those stars set to return.

7. If you like your cooking and enjoy following people on social media who love whipping up a feed do yourself a favour and check out North Melbourne star Cam Zurhaar.

His videos on @bullscooking has my mouth watering every time it bobs up on my feed. If you like barbecue its right up your alley.

8. No one wins easily or often at Geelong, but the way Fremantle lost last week giving up 10 last-quarter goals, was alarming.

This team has to play finals in 2025, but they won’t if they keep playing the way they did on Saturday. Though it’s not the end of the world and, like the Blues, they can turn it around quickly in the last game of round two this Sunday at home. The Swans are coming to Optus Stadium with an 0-2 record. Dean Cox will be searching for his first win as coach and Chad Warner makes his first trip to WA this year amid speculation he could return home next year with the Dockers or Eagles. Get out the popcorn.

9. A big forward kicking a big bag of goals is a thing of the past.

I miss it but it’s not feasible anymore to have one player kick 50 per cent of your score like your Tony Lockett, Gary Ablett and Jason Dunstall did. How you win in modern footy is how Geelong did last week against Fremantle. They had 13 individual goal kickers, with six of them kicking multiple goals, including star forward Jeremy Cameron with four. The Cats will be contenders yet again this year.

10. I know I am flogging a dead horse here, but opening round needs to change next year.

If the AFL needs more evidence, they just need to look at the attendance for the first three games at the MCG last weekend with 225,000 people turning out. A huge turnout while competing with one of Melbourne’s premier events the Australian Grand Prix. And it was not just in Melbourne with fans turning out across the country as the AFL had its highest round one attendance with 431,505 bums on seats. While the AFL can’t be pig-headed on this experiment, unfortunately I think they will.