RICHO’S TOP 10: Sam Darcy is the AFL star worth $2 million a year if clubs will play Harley Reid that

1. Harley Reid is under a ton of pressure heading into the western derby but this kid has had a ridiculous amount of focus on him which is becoming too much.

I think the AFL should have given him a warning, not a fine, for flipping the bird against the Lions.

He was lying on the ground and some guy is yelling at him from a few metres away and made poor decision in that moment as a 19-year-old.

I think the AFL could have just sent him a letter saying be careful. This is coming from someone with long history of birds but I did get warnings unlike Harley.

A couple of the ones they showed on The Front Bar last night I can’t even remember, God knows how many other times I did it.

The “bird” that I kissed in Perth earned me a pretty heavy fine. The Reid situation has echoes of the Jason Horne-Francis saga.

He was No.1 draft pick in 2021 at North Melbourne, but Horne-Francis only spent a year at the Roos before being traded back to his home State.

Now if you listen to some journos, Reid won’t be at West Coast and will return to Victoria in 2026. If this turns out to be true, clubs with the No.1 pick really need to look seriously at only taking players from the State they are from. Richmond used this approach with all their draft picks in 2024. It could be the smart move going forward.

2. We are not far away from the first $2-million-a-year player.

If Reid was to come back to Victoria he may well be that man. It would take a huge deal to get the job done but there will be plenty of suitors.

If I was a club list manager the player I would be luring with the $2 million offer is Sam Darcy from the Dogs. I’m probably biased but I still think a good big man is better than a midfielder and a lot harder to find. At the other end of the scale everyone loves a bargain right.

There have been some unbelievable bargains in league history. Guys that got looked over in countless national drafts or guys that were given a chance via the rookie draft. Names like Dean Cox, Brett Kirk, Luke Bruest and Aaron Sandilands come to mind. Right now just about the best bargain buy is Hawk Jai Newcombe via the mid-season draft in 2021.

The 23-year-old was huge again against the Blues with 20 contested possessions. His last 20 or so games have elevated him to a genuine A-grader.

3. Massive game for Carlton tomorrow night in what is a crunch match, which has been made even harder with Coleman medallist Harry McKay going out of the team.

The Blues have serious scoring issues, managing just 129 points in their first two games. Their efficiency going inside 50 is really poor, ranked 18th.

They get good inside-50 numbers but are just bombing away, their ball movement is really bad and they are turning the ball over.

But maybe with McKay out they can turn it into a silver lining as they are going to have to try something different as Charlie Curnow is still underdone.

Maybe they can be inventive. Michael Voss may play Patrick Cripps in the ruck again which I don’t have an issue with as they won some clearances with it against Richmond.

Tom De Koning is the sort of ruckman that likes to play 75 per cent anyway so they are not asking Cripps to do it for long periods.

4. There are a lot of balls in the air regarding the Tasmanian team and the concessions they will get at the draft.

One thing that is non-negotiable for their list set-up is exclusive access to homegrown talent.

They must have their own academy. With a lot talk about player retention the Devils must have first access to their own young footballers.

5. Many variables make a good coach, but one of the most important must be to have your team well drilled to handle closing out a tight game.

Craig McRae now has 20 wins and four losses in games decide by six points or less. An outstanding record.

6. I tipped a Hawks-Giants grand final at the start of the year and we get a preview of that prediction on Saturday.

It’s a small sample but both teams are playing the brand of footy you’ve got to play now - small forwards that go high up ground and cause havoc on the way back. Carlton is playing the opposite way.

The game is down in Tassie so I will be tipping Hawthorn. It is a tough one as I don’t think Hawthorn are shooting the lights out at the moment, but they are finding a way which is a really good sign for them. In all three of their wins they have had to grind a bit so they have shown they can win in different ways.

I am tipping them to be 4-0. I am really interested in how Mabior Chol performs as he has had to shoulder the key forward position as a lone hand with Mitch Lewis and Calsher Dear out.

This is a real test of his maturity if he gets Sam Taylor playing on him, which he likely will. Both teams have got superstar captains in Toby Greene and James Sicily. It’s hard to go past The Bont as the best captain in the AFL but Greene isn’t far behind now.

What a journey it’s been for Greene to get to this point. We know he has had ups and downs, but he has really matured into a great leader. He inserts himself into a game at the precise time he is needed, just like Wayne Carey did.

Carey wasn’t always the best on ground but always kicked the goal or took the pack mark at the right moment. Greene isn’t “The Duck” but his timing to grab the big moments in games is similar.

And to finish on the Hawks, how on earth with all the officials on the bench and four umpires on the ground plus the AFL Review Centre could we have the interchange infringement mistake we had in their win over the Blues last Thursday? It should have been a goal to the Blues at a crucial time in the game. It’s simply not good enough in a high stakes industry such as the AFL.

7. Do yourself a favour and go back and watch the Dogs’ pre-game celebration for their 100 years in the VFL/AFL competition.

Bob Murphy, the former Dogs skipper, was perfect in his role as the narrator of the club’s history seated in the middle of the MCG.

It was great to see so many Dogs champions out on the ground being recognised. The Doggies have had some champions of the game represent them. Bravo the sons of the west.

8. It’s been a rough ride for Crows fans since the 2017 grand final.

They haven’t played in September since then but that could be about to end in 2025. They recruited well adding in Isaac Cumming, James Peatling and Alex Neale-Bullen. The thing I’m liking the most is the forward 50, as they have kicked scores of 135 and 161 and are not solely reliant on Tex Walker anymore. Darcy Fogarty and Riley Thilthorpe are getting better and they have electric smalls in Izak Rankine and Josh Rachele. Dare to dream Crows fans.

9. Several big calls being made already on teams and individuals across the opening few weeks of the season.

Don’t get to caught up in it. If I have learnt one thing over the past 32 AFL seasons it is week’s a long time in football. Just ask Saints fans.

10. Mark down Sunday, March 23, 2025, as the penny dropping moment for North Melbourne.

I’m confident they have turned the corner. You could almost see the players gaining belief before your eyes. There are more wins on the way in the coming months.