Matthew Richardson’s top 10: Hokball is back and fuelling the rejuvenated Hawks towards a flag

1 The All-Australian selectors have a tough choice with the ruck position. Max Gawn has had a mortgage on it in recent years but a tight race looms for the No.1 spot in 2025. Tristan Xerri’s three-game ban will have hurt his chances, while Brodie Grundy is coming like a steam train, polling coaches votes in his past seven games. But the real smokey is the Gold Coast’s Jarrod Witts. He is never beaten and his pure ruck work is close to the best. Having been a selector I wish them all the best. It’s a thankless job at times.

2 Expect plenty of goals tonight, when the Bulldogs get another opportunity to finally take another top-eight scalp. They’ve only done it once this season and it was against the Giants in round seven. Although they haven’t been beating teams in the eight, the Dogs still average 90 points against those sides. The players to watch at either end of the ground have found form since they last met. Dogs spearhead Aaron Naughton has kicked 26 goals in the last seven games, while young Giant Aaron Cadman has booted 20 in his past last six matches and stamped himself as key forward. The Dogs have to beat the Giants, or Freo in round 24, if they’re any hope of making finals. I’m tipping the Doggies to get the monkey off the back tonight in a close one.

3 Heaven forbid we get to a point where the game is sanitised to the extent that players give nothing to the media for fear of it being analysed to within an inch of its life. I’m sure the players know what’s crossing the line is. If that happens players will cop the full brunt, like West Coast’s Jack Graham did recently. Toby Greene’s weight jibe at Tom Papley didn’t do that. Paps gives as good as he gets and I love a bit of byplay between the players and so do they. It’s good clean fun and adds to the spectacle.

4 The Hawks and their famed Hokball is back. After one only one loss since round 12 , the run-and-gun exciting style of late 2024 has returned. The most exciting thing is they are getting key players back and fit at the right time. Calsher Dear and Mitch Lewis make the forward line look more balanced with the veteran Jack Gunston the icing on the cake. But Will Day could be the catalyst for a real run at a premiership - he’s the Hawks’ pea. They aren’t top-four morals yet with some tough games against the Crows Pies and Lions, but the signs are pointing in the right direction.

5 Calm down Saints fans, but it’s hard to remember a better recent quarter than the one GWS put in last Friday night against Sydney . Having trailed by 35 points the Giants piled on 9.3 to a solitary goal in the third term. They then kicked three goals to one in the last to win by 44 points - a 79-point turnaround. It was the second-largest come-from-behind-win in the club’s history and that’s six wins in a row now for the surging Giants. Saints fans may challenge this after their miracle on Sunday, but there was more riding on the Sydney battle.

6 A few media pundits have inked in Adelaide’s Dan Curtin as the Rising Star winner. But beware of recency form bias. I think Freo’s Murphy Reid is a good chance to win it. Right from his four goals on debut, he has played at a consistent level in the difficult small-forward role. He had 15 score involvements in the Western Derby last weekend and leads all rookies in this key stat with 106 for the season. He has kicked 19 goals in addition to this. P.S. the rising star should be for first-year players only.

7 Stephen May had his suspension upheld but I’m glad his club appealed. Because it is now crystal clear that if a player is concussed in an accidental collision the the player deemed responsible for the collision will be suspended. So it’s time the AFL just said this publicly and is transparent. It will put an end to the debate each time we have an incident like this. It won’t be the game I grew up loving, but players will adjust and it’s going to take some getting used to. While this is happening players will be second-guessing themselves as they approach the ball, contest and opposition players.

8 He couldn’t could he? Jeremey Cameron sits on 69 goals after his 11 goals against North Melboure last Saturday night. I estimate he has at least six games (including finals) to reach the magical 100 mark. And three of those are against strugglers Port Adelaide, Essendon and Richmond, with the first two of those to be played at the Cattery. I’ll run on to the ground if he kicks the ton. How good would this be? Let’s go Jezza.

9 The Bulldogs announced their greatest 25 players last week. The top five were Ted Whitten, Marcus Bontempelli, Chris Grant, Gary Dempsey and Doug Hawkins. It’s hard to argue with that but Brad Johnson must have been close. Criminally underrated and the best mark for his size in my time in the AFL. His hands were as strong as a vice. The biggest question was over the No.1 spot. While I’ve never seen a better Dog than Bont - and it’s hard to imagine anyone could have had more impact on field - holistically they got it right with EJ at the top. The impact EJ had on the community and the game was enormous. If it’s done again in 30 years, the Bont may well take the mantle.

10 The 1980s were a great time to be a kid. In Devonport it was all footy , cricket, basketball, BMX bikes, Atari video games and, in my circle of mates, the rise of wrestling. We loved it. Flying Randy Savage elbows from the top bunk on to a pile of cushions or an Iron Shiek camel clutch. Even a figure-four leg-lock mastered by Greg ‘The Hammer’ Valentine. But my all-time favourite was Hulk Hogan and his 24-inch python arms. He was a giant for us kids back then. RIP brother.