RICHO’S TOP 10: West Coast should not bench Oscar Allen because he is likely to leave the AFL club

1. Oscar Allen is back in the headlines after the West Coast skipper suffered an injury that could see him not play for the rest of the season, if the Eagles decide to play it that way.

The West Australian reported last night the injury may be season-ending anyway, but the whole notion of the Eagles putting Allen on ice to protect his market value — so if he leaves the club West Coast will get a strong draft pick by way of compensation — is silly to me. Players want to play and assuming he can get fit before the end of the season he should play. It’s as simple as that. If he does want to leave which is the strong rumour, I’m sure he would want to show that he is fit and ready and able for his next club, possibly Brisbane or Hawthorn.

2. It’s a massive three weeks ahead for the Saints who are sitting in 14th position with only five wins after having won 13 games in 2023 and then 11 in 2024.

Not many pundits expected them to play finals this year, but they certainly have not met expectations. Supporters are disheartened and potentially disengaged based on the crowd size last Thursday. The next three games are the Pies on Saturday at the G then the Dockers at Optus stadium and back to the G for the Hawks. That’s a tough three weeks. Their best has been good but it’s few and far between. If they can pinch two of these games the narrative of underachieving will change very quickly.

3. What a great decision to keep the AFL grand final at 2.30pm.

The AFL is listening to its fans. Most fans I talk to like the traditional spot. The naysayers will say it should be at night to draw a bigger TV audience and more dollars. Yes, most other major sporting events are at night. One that isn’t is the FA Cup final at Wembley. It usually starts between 3pm to 4.30pm. I like our traditional time slot. You can chill in the morning, have a BBQ at home, watch the game and then there’s still plenty of time to go out and celebrate post-game. I do get the feeling that it will be moved to a night grand final but hopefully not for a few years yet.

4. Last Friday night in Launceston the Crows and Hawks played a game where only 11 goals were kicked in the match.

Adelaide, the number one attack in the competition, kicked five goals. The conditions were still but very cold and windy with a thick fog around the ground. It was not a great spectacle. It was further proof to me that a stadium with a roof needs to be built in Hobart. Get it done.

5. Sam Darcy without doubt has the biggest upside of every player in the competition.

I could not rate him any higher. He was a beacon in his first game back last week with 19 touches and three goals. He is something we have never seen before at that size. A nightmare opponent. I think there is every chance he will be the best player in the game in the next 18 months. Some analysts are saying he already is the best player in the competition. He probably will be soon and it’s scary how good he is going to be. But he needs a few more runs on the board before that statement is true. He needs to do what he did Friday for another 12 months. I think he will and it’s very exciting for the competition.

6. Another year and another snub for Sav Rocca in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

Of the Top 30 goal kickers of all time in the VFL/AFL he is the only eligible player not inducted. Those that are not eligible yet are Lance Franklin, Tom Hawkins, Jack Reiwoldt, Josh Kennedy, Jeremy Cameron and Tex Walker. I think all of those players will at some stage be inducted. But before they are Sav has to be. He kicked 741 goals at an average of 2.91 a game. That puts him in 16th position on the all-time goals list. Next year has to be his year. Get big Sav in, please.

7. The Melbourne football club has got its man after Kozzie Pickett signed a nine-year deal to make him a Demon for life with one of football’s longest deals.

While it’s a no brainer for Kozzie, right, there is some element of risk for the Demons. Touch wood, but injuries are a part of the game. Hopefully Kozzie avoids any serious injury. If he does and stays motivated, it’s a risk worth taking for the Dees. He is a game breaker who simply does things only a handful of players in the competition can.

8. Tom Harley worked with us at Channel 7 footy when he first retired from football as a premiership captain at the Cats.

What a fine leader he is. He was brilliant to work with and a very professional insightful broadcaster. But you knew he wasn’t going to be calling games for long. He always had bigger fish to fry. It wasn’t long before he arrived at the Swans and then not long after that he became CEO. Next stop is the AFL and the COO role below Andrew Dillon. This is another very smart appointment from the AFL following Greg Swann a few weeks ago. With Tom and Greg in charge the AFL administration is in safe hands. Andrew Dillon has had a few good weeks by making these calls.

9. You’ve got to love a breakout game.

They come early for high draft picks these days. Particularly number one picks and normally in their first few games like Sam Lalor this year. It’s harder when you’re a key position forward number one pick. In his 49th game Aaron Cadman, right, arrived with five goals and 13 marks. It will be a huge boost for his self-belief. Look out for another few performances like this before season’s end from Aaron. While we are on key forwards how good was last weekend? The big key forwards were back. Logan Morris also kicked five and Jezza Cameron and Jesse Hogan both bagged six goals before Mitch Georgiades kicked a career high seven goals. While I don’t think we will see the 100-goal kicker again, it’s good to see the big forwards up and about.

10. No World Test Championship on free to air television is a disaster and should not be allowed to happen in Australia.

It robs the rank-and-file fans. So many people cannot afford streaming services. Let’s hope this is not a trend we see in the future. If it’s not on free to air TV people are robbed of seeing the stars in action. I think it risks harming cricket’s development in general. If kids can’t watch and get inspired by their heroes, they will turn to other sports they can watch.