Sport

For Oscar Allen, weighing up a move isn’t betrayal — it’s business. What stands out to me, though, is how Allen has been forced to talk about his situation, writes Mitchell Johnson.

JUSTIN LANGER: The very foundation of the sport is under strain from an economic model that rewards the richest, leaving the rest struggling to survive.

BEN MCCLELLAN: The league is finding out the hard way that leading the crusade against homophobia can have its pitfalls.

RICHO’S TOP 10: Izak Rankine’s brain fade is going to cost him and the Adelaide Crows dearly.

MITCHELL JOHNSON: Bob Simpson revolutionised our national cricket system, but it seems some of his invaluable lessons have been forgotten by our current crop of stars.

DANE ELDRIDGE: The Roosters chief deal-maker rarely gets it wrong, but paying $800k to an ageing and fading star is looking like a very poor investment.

SOPHIE GANNON: After being unbeatable for most of the year the Pies look cooked. These are the stats that show how it has all gone so wrong, so very quickly.

MARK ‘SPUDD’ CARROLL: Harry Grant should have been the one penalised for his Oscar winning performance to win a match-defining penalty.

GEORGIE PARKER: Rankine is not a fringe player. He is one of the league’s brightest stars. And that is exactly why, if the charge is proven true, the AFL cannot afford to flinch.

RICHO’S TOP 10: Nathan Buckley appears the front-runner to take the Melbourne job but this is the guy I’d be hiring.

MITCHELL JOHNSON: Dropping a retirement bombshell right before the finals can shift the dynamic. And not always in the way people think.

SOPHIE GANNON: The Dockers were written off early in the season, but now find themselves fighting for a top-four finish thanks to this player’s hot run of form.

GEORGIE PARKER: I applaud the AFLW’s call not to lock in their grand final venue and  - as a still bitter Adelaide fan - wonder why the AFL don’t follow suit.

If Penrith go on to win this year’s title, they will have earned the right to join the Saints on the top step of rugby league’s podium.

The futures of Jack Silvagni, Simon Goodwin and Harley Reid feature in Richo’s top 10 this week.