1. The critics are coming hard and fast for Richmond coach Adem Yze.

Some are even suggesting his job is under the pump. I think this is a very harsh assessment. The injury run the Tigers have endured has been the worst in the competition by a long way. Richmond has lost 140 more games than the next worst-hit club on games missed through injury. That makes it impossible for a coach, particularly when you are in a big rebuild. So firstly they need to get the new head of fitness in place and have everyone available for 2027. If there was no improvement by mid-way 2027, then the pressure would be warranted, but not now.

Yze has had to coach with both hands tied behind his back.

2. While I’m at it on the Tigers, the fans need something to cheer about.

They haven’t sung the song as much as they would like and have endured a horror stretch of injuries, as I have just stated. These injuries have deprived them of even seeing enough of the youngsters that they hope are the future. One youngster they are certain is a star is Sam Lalor. To be honest, he is Richmond’s best player already with ball in hand. With Tassie looming, Richmond must sign Lalor as the highest priority. It would be a disaster if he was to be signed by the Devils. Get the signature, Tigers officials. The fans need something to smile about.

3. George Hewett deserves a massive pat on the back for what he is doing for the Carlton footy club.

George won the club’s best and fairest in 2025 but found himself dropped from the team for four weeks after an early-season loss to North. It seemed harsh at the time but what he has done since coming back into the team says a lot about his attitude and professionalism. He’s become a goal-per-game midfielder in his 11 games since returning. In his career of 216 games, his goal average per game was 0.28.

Just shows you that no matter what point of your career, you can add new string to your bow. Well done, George.

4. How hard would it be as a Pies fan to see Scott Pendlebury at another club? Well, you might need to get used to it.

Scott suggested recently on radio in Melbourne that if he was to pursue coaching, he might look to do it in a new environment. I think it’s the right idea. Look at Sam Mitchell, as an example. He left the Hawks and went to West Coast and was part of the 2018 premiership-winning coaching panel. He then came back home to the Hawks and has them in a good spot for this year’s flag. When Scott does retire, surely all other 17 clubs will be trying to lure him as an assistant coach.

5. Some talk recently that the quarters of our games will most likely be reduced in the near future.

The league has already put some rules in place to make the games a bit shorter. The talk was they could come back to what they were in COVID. That’s a massive no from me. I’ve always seen our game as a war of attrition, that only the fittest and strongest survive. Please leave it that way. The game is a marathon, not a sprint.

6. Also some news around last week that the AFL Coaches Association was thinking about starting an award for the competition’s best defender.

I like the idea. Let’s be honest, the Brownlow Medal is a midfielders award. We have the Coleman Medal for the competition’s best goalkicking forward. Why not one for the backs, who don’t seem to get any love? Lets call it the Danny Frawley Award after the late great Saints full back. Spud was always championing the contributions of the league’s defenders with his ‘Golden fist’ award. Let’s make it official.

7. I believe in the footy gods and sometimes they can be cruel.

I was at Marvel last Sunday for the return of St Kilda forward Max King. Max had not played an AFL game since round 17, 2024, spending more than two years on the sidelines. He started the game on the interchange bench and when he ran on, Saints fans gave him a huge round of applause. Unfortunately, he lasted a little over a quarter before leaving with a tight hammy. Let’s hope those same gods shine on him over the off-season. The best thing for Max now is a full pre-season so he can hit the ground running in 2027. God knows he deserves it.

8. I’ m still not a fan of this Wildcard race and in particular, the fact that the 10th-placed team at present is a full game behind the 7th-placed team.

At the moment, that 10th team is St Kilda, who have lost more games than they’ve won. They also have not beaten a team above them on the ladder. To me, that is not a record that deserves to grant you entry to a finals series.

9. Match of the round is tonight at the MCG between Collingwood and Geelong.

The red-hot Pies with six wins in a row against the Cats, who have got things back on track over the last fortnight. There is no doubt both clubs still have hopes of avoiding wildcard round and having a week off. The loser of tonight’s game will have no margin for error. Realistically, if the Cats win they should tick off Essendon, North and Richmond and could hit the finals with six wins in a row and huge momentum. The Pies have a tougher ask with Brisbane and Hawthorn in their run home, as West Coast in Perth. A Pies win tonight would be enormous. The match will rest on the outcome of the Nick Daicos V Oisin Mullin matchup. Mullin has beaten all the gun mids this year. Get your popcorn out.

10. Just on the Cats, Oli Henry is putting together one of the best ‘under the radar’ seasons you will see.

I have not heard a lot about him on the airwaves and midweek footy shows. Looking at his numbers, I think he starts to get a few pats on the back. He has kicked 32 goals with multiple goals on four occasions. These are good numbers for a player that is not the first or second target inside 50. On track to better his best season of 2023, when he kicked 41 goals.