Richmond are in a very low spot right now. They’re almost destined for the wooden spoon not too long after a dynasty that’s the envy of many of a club. Club heroes like Martin, Cotchin and Riewoldt are gone, while players such as Shai Bolton, Jack Graham, Daniel Rioli and Liam Baker could be playing elsewhere in 2025.
But maybe, just maybe, this is for the best. The imminent entry of Tasmania into the competition means that this will be one of the few remaining years for a team to truly bottom out and reload for the future. Jack Graham is a free agent and doesn’t factor into the equation, but the others mentioned do.
Depending on who you listen to, Shai Bolton has not “officially” called for a trade back to WA, but he’s made it known he does want to return home for family reasons, and Liam Baker might not be far off following him. Meanwhile, the Gold Coast Suns have not exactly been subtle in their pursuit of Daniel Rioli.
Bolton, Baker and Rioli represent a trio of players that could net significant draft capital for the Tigers. Shai Bolton should not be allowed to go for less than two first-round picks, while Liam Baker can net one first-rounder in return, too. Not so coincidentally, Fremantle hold three first round picks thanks to holding the picks of Collingwood and Port Adelaide, as well. While the latter pick is currently pick #17 due to Port sitting second on the ladder (this could change depending on finals results), the fact Collingwood has missed finals barring an absolute miracle in the final round has netted a tidy sum for the Dockers to the point where #9, #10 and (currently) #17 could be a good trade for the duo.
As for Rioli, the Suns might need to cough up a couple of first-rounders too. Also not so coincidentally, the team has #12 and #20 (the latter being an end of first-round priority pick formerly given to North Melbourne). As long as the Suns have the ability to pay for their academy prospect, they could very well hand over #12 and #20 too.
This gives Richmond an absolute monster hand in the packed 2024 draft should these scenarios play out, with pick #1, #9, #10, #12, #19 and #20 as first-round selections to go with picks they hold early in the second round with #21 and #30. Holding eight picks in the top 30 of this draft can supercharge a rebuild, along with more picks in 2025 if they predictably suffer on the field.
It will be sad for some to see stars of the club, and premiership heroes depart. Ideally, the rebuild would have already been occurring and the next era of success could have seen these players be part of it, but it does seem a way off, and qs much as I am sure there is a reluctance to send good players elsewhere, sometimes that’s just what you have to do. Nobody wants to see their favourite players in new colours but for the betterment of their future and the fact Tasmania is looming large over the competition, the Tigers need to play it tough and net these picks for the 2024 AFL Draft.
And they need to absolutely nail them.
What will be painful now could soon become very profitable in the future, even if the team has to suffer on the park for a couple of years.
What do you think, should they just bite the bullet and take what they can get? Or should they play it tough and try their best to hold the players to their contracts?
