RICHO’S TOP 10: Zak Butters and Zac Bailey are both worth the big money AFL deals coming their way

1. Some big free agents up for grabs at the end of this season, namely Zac Bailey and Zak Butters.

Both are unbelievable players. If you could have your pick, who would you take? It’s like splitting hairs.

This might be controversial, but I think I’d go with Bailey. Has all the traits that you need the way the game is being played these days. He takes the space available to him, has a great lateral step and he can go into the centre and come out the front of stoppage.

Butters does all this as well, but the difference is Bailey is a goal scorer. Could have kicked seven or eight goals in last year’s grand final.

It is a tough choice. I am not sure Port or the Lions will be able to match the offers for these two from rival clubs and both have different objectives, Butters is chasing a flag and Bailey has the opportunity to land a life-changing deal after already tasting the ultimate success twice.

2. Friday night footy at Marvel stadium is shaping as a real crunch game for the GWS Giants.

Currently sitting at 1-2, slipping back to 1-3 makes it a tough slog to get back into the hunt. With all their injury issues just hovering around a 50 per cent win rate until a few come back will be a good result.

After a terrific start to the year against Hawthorn they have struggled to find cohesion forward of centre. Jake Stringer has only kicked one goal in the last two weeks, and Jesse Hogan hasn’t got going yet at all with only 10 marks in three games.

When he’s up and going he connects up the ground for the Giants. On the flipside the Pies have just been grinding away as well offensively with only 78 and 79 points in their two games.

Ball movement is a premium in this competition, and this will be the major factor in who wins this game. Whoever can get it going for four quarters should take the four points.

3. The West Coast Eagles haven’t sung the song much for years now but after watching their terrific win over the Roos last Sunday night it’s going to be heard a bit more in 2026.

When watching a team that is in a rebuild it can sometimes be hard to see a real system of play while kids are learning. Well, you can definitely see what the Eagles are trying to do.

High pressure, high octane footy with run from behind and metres gained by hands plus more time in the forward half and forward half intercepts.

McQualter is bringing some of the Damien Hardwick philosophy he would have been a part of in his time at Richmond during their premiership winning period.

The other brilliant move by the Eagles was bringing in Liam Baker and making him the captain. Who wouldn’t follow Baker’s lead? He is team first, tough and never surrenders a contest win lose or draw. He can really change the culture out west into a winning one.

4. The game is a high paced end-to-end contest at the moment.

Plenty of goals and plenty of running. Less stoppages. Less congestion. This is great to watch but it is going to hurt a certain type of player.

If you are an inside contested midfielder that can’t spread after the initial contest, I fear that the game is going to pass you by. Particularly if you can’t play in any other position.

The very best of these players will find a way of course. The game will also slow down in winter. But it’s a tough gig for this type of player right now.

5. I’m a glass half full guy most of the time.

If you’re an Essendon fan I understand that it’s a tough sell. The team simply can’t defend having given up 145 and 133 points in their first two games.

So, it’s 15 losses in a row now and with the Roos, the Bulldogs, the Dees, the Suns, the Pies, the Lions, the Giants and the Dockers it’s hard to see a win coming. But there have been small wins, or at least one.

Against Port last Sunday I thought the best two players for the Dons were Issac Kako and Nate Caddy. These two had 12 shots at goal between them but most importantly busted their guts from start to finish.

They care and you could see it. They want to be better. This is the silver lining for the Bombers. Long-suffering Bombers fan should keep turning up to watch these two develop.

6. I cannot believe that the AFL has fined Patrick Voss for taunting.

It feels really reactionary to a bit of press coverage. Plucked out of you know where. Surely, they could have just issued a statement telling players to be careful that the line isn’t crossed.

The players know where this line is. A bit of banter and byplay is great for the theatre and game. The fans love it. The problem now is a big can of worms has been opened. What’s acceptable and what isn’t. I’m confused.

7. Not many more popular figures in our game than Brisbane legend Big Jonathon Brown.

Just a champion bloke that can relate to everybody in the footy world. Browny can fit in down at the local pub or in a corporate boardroom.

Fits in everywhere. It was a shock to hear of Browny’s shock brain tumour surgery just before we went on air for Friday night footy.

Thankfully, it sounds like he is going to be fine after a period of recuperation. Just another reminder to all of us to get checked out by your Doc every 12 months. All the footy world is sending love to the Brown family. I can’t wait to see him back at the footy.

8. I’ve said many times that I thought it was going to be impossible to kick 100 goals in a season.

I still think it’s at long odds. The last player to do this was Buddy Franklin in 2008. That’s 18 seasons ago. Jezza Cameron gave it a crack last year kicking 88 goals in 26 games at an average of 3.39 goals per game.

I think it would take a player in a finals team to do it. If you play the whole season and two finals, you need to kick four per game on average.

Currently we have Ben King, Nick Larkey and Jack Gunston averaging over four. With the speed of ball movement and open play there may be a slim chance of it happening this season but how good would it be.

9. Was good to hear that Bobby Hill is back in town and training again.

It’s been a tough road for Bobby since his Norm Smith medal winning game in the 2023 grand final. He only played 14 games last year.

While I’m not here to comment on his personal situation hopefully he is finally back in a good place to enjoy playing football again. The game needs players like Bobby out there.

The way the games played suits Bobby’s strengths more than ever. I suspect it may be a few months yet until we see him on the ground.

He will need to get himself fit but probably more importantly spend some time back in the group getting reconnected with his teammates. I can’t wait to see him back out there in black and white.

10. Tom Barrass went under the radar by Victorians for far too long.

The Melbourne footy public often gets criticised for not recognising the great players out west. Tom has been a rock down back for a long time now.

In his 12th season now, he is rarely beaten one-on-one and his positioning as that line of defence is exceptional. How often do you see him in the goal square marking the footy as the last man.

I suspect that after some issues with his back with the Eagles he is fitter than he’s ever been. He had never played a full season until his 25 games in 2025. His recruitment along with Josh Battle could just win the Hawks a flag.