RICHO’S TOP 10: Richmond Tigers should trade AFL draft picks 2 and 3 for West Coast Eagles star Harley Reid

1. Richmond used their draft picks wisely last year and can do so again this year, but not in choosing the next best rookies but using picks 2 (a pick they have from North) and 3 to have a huge crack at getting Harley Reid.

Surely picks 2 and 3 will entice the Eagles to trade the star before his contract ends at the end of next year. He is exactly what the Tigers don’t have. A quick midfielder that can take the ball from inside to outside and kick goals. He would complement the tough and hard inside midfielders the Tigers already have in Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper perfectly. With the Tigers taking three talls in last year’s draft in Harry Armstrong, Tom Sims and Jonty Faull and three midfielders in Sam Lalor and the unseen as yet Josh Smillie and Taj Hotton they can afford to trade out the picks this year for Reid. And if West Coast were open to trading Reid, given strong speculation he will likely return to Melbourne in 2027 anyway with Hawthorn, Geelong, Collingwood and Essendon all interested in him, the Eagles could secure the top three picks by trading with Richmond. Get it done Tigers.

2. It can be a huge burden being the number one draft pick.

You endure so much more coverage than the very next pick. It seems absurd. Even though he sustained a slight hamstring strain last week I think Richmond nailed last year’s top pick by taking Lalor. He is close to being Richmond’s most composed player with ball in hand after just half a season. He is unselfish and humble and has future captain written all over him. I’m all in on Sam succeeding.

3. The game of the round this week is Channel 7’s Friday night clash between the Hawks and Collingwood.

The Pies are sitting pretty on top and are the ultimate team at the moment. The injuries are mounting but the system is so strong and connected it doesn’t appear to be hurting them. They just keep grinding and breaking down the opposition. This is an important game for the Hawks. They got smashed in the clearances last week, but the issue for them is in the key forward posts. Jack Gunston has had a terrific year, but he isn’t a big key forward. He’s your leading hit up third tall. That leaves a lot for Mabior Chol to do. The Hawks need four to five goals out of these two tomorrow night. If not the Hawks will slip back a game outside the top four. It’s a big night for the Hawks to stay in touch with the flag contenders.

4. There is a new king of Geelong on and off the field.

Back in the day it was Billy Brownless. He then passed the baton to “The Mayor” of Geelong, former skipper Cameron Ling. Now it’s the exciting charismatic Bailey Smith. He’s got it all Bailey. The talent and the marketability, but what I like best is his determination to be the best and handle the pressure. What a game he played last week against his old team the Dogs. It says a lot about his character the way he played. He really is a big Brownlow medal chance now. What an effort it has been this season coming off a knee reconstruction. And Bailey does not mind being the headlines with his latest comment about “nose beers”, slang for cocaine, really causing a stir. As hard as it is for some of us older dinosaurs to get young people use social media to communicate in full public view. It’s like a group chat with mates but in full view. Don t take it to seriously would be my take. I don’t think Bailey is.

5. Gee there are a lot of veterans enjoying fine seasons and this week’s fine wine is Brisbane’s Dayne Zorko.

The 36-year-old five time best and fairest winner has done it all in footy. At this stage of the year, he may almost be having his best season. He was instrumental in Brisbane’s great win over Hawthorn on the weekend. He really is setting Brisbane up from half back brilliantly. He is the leading kick winner in the competition and number two for metres gained. The most important thing with Dayne is he hasn’t lost his pace at all.

6. The number one priority for the Melbourne footy club is to extend Kozzie Pickett’s contract beyond its current expiration date of 2027.

The 23-year-old is exactly the type of player that every club would want. He is a dynamic centre bounce clearance player who can kick multiple goals. With rumours of a possible return to the west the Dees will have to move heaven and earth to stitch him up long term and stop him going to Fremantle.

7. I was in Tasmania in my hometown of Devonport last week at a function.

There would have been at least 100 people in attendance. Everyone I spoke to in the room wants an AFL team and supports the stadium. D-Day is coming on if the Tasmanian Parliament will let the stadium be built. Devils CEO Brendan Gale said as much at a media briefing last week. Let’s hope the politicians in control of this important decision are listening to the people of Tasmania.

8 Just on Tasmania, Gale has dropped his short list of potential coaches.

Chris Scott, Nathan Buckley, John Longmire, Adam Simpson, Ken Hinkley and Chris Fagan. They want experience and all those guys have that in spades. Of that list I would have Buckley as the early favourite as I think he wants it and has had the ear of Gale already. Gale speaks glowingly of Buckley’s coaching record. He was a couple of minutes off being a premiership coach in 2018. The Tassie coach is going to need to be ambitious and hungry as it’s a big job. Two things that will always be true of Buckley. I also think his time away from coaching has given him time to self-reflect on how he can improve and I dare say he will. I would love to see him coach again.

9. I love the mid-season draft as it gives players that have been overlooked a crack on an AFL list.

A couple of recent success stories have been Sam Durham taken in 2021 and Massimo D’Ambrosio in 2022 both by Essendon. Both of these players are now verging on being A-graders. The Bombers again were busy at the mid-season draft, taking four players to address their injury woes. The Eagles took Tom McCarthy from Richmond’s VFL ranks as the number one pick. Let’s hope a couple of these players can reach those same heights as Durham and D’Ambrosio. It really does encourage young players who missed out at the national draft to persevere at their game at state level. Who can forget Marlion Pickett? He was picked up by the Tigers in the mid-season draft and made his debut in the grand final for the flag-winning Richmond side of 2019. A Cinderella mid-season draft story if ever there was one.

10. The Agenda Setters on Channel 7 last week reported James Hird wants to coach Essendon again.

Rightly so it attracted a lot of responses. The loudest response was from Hird himself on rival panel show Footy Classified. He said he did not want to coach Essendon again. He did this while sitting next to the current Essendon coach Brad Scott. He then said he supported Scott. I think that you can categorically say Hird will not coach Essendon again.