‘Accelerated rebuild’: The moves setting Tigers up for successRichmond has made some tough calls in the past few seasons as they rebuild. Brad Lloyd unpacks how — so far — the Tigers have nailed both the messaging and their rebuild.
HeraldSun
1 Dec 2025It is crystal clear the direction Richmond is heading, having invested heavily in the draft over the last two years in an accelerated list rebuild.
With Adem Yze now signed up for the next couple of years, the Tigers are putting themselves on the right track to return to success.
THE YZE EXTENSIONJust watching the vision of the announcement of Adem Yze’s new two-year contract extension, he looks really popular with the playing group.
When you look at coaches and their credentials when they are selected, the ones that do well are often fresh coaches that are a bit younger and really eager.
He appears a lifelong learner who travels overseas to pick up what he can.
I have heard him speak at AFL meetings and his love of the game is clear.
He seems a real student of the game and passionate with strong beliefs in the way he wants the game played.
It is early days but it looks a really popular extension.
The Tigers are very clear as a club on where they are heading so Adem will be measured more on building a game plan that suits the list and how he educates the players and builds relationships with the players and staff, rather than wins and losses.
The measurement will be a lot different to a coach like Adam Kingsley who came into GWS and played finals quickly.
Adem is in a very good and stable football department.
Blair Hartley and Tim Livingstone have worked together for many years and would know each other inside and out.
That experienced management team would help him have a lot of confidence in the list and the last two years, to bring in the amount of first-round picks they have, it is a pretty exciting role for him.
DRAFT TACTICSLate in the recruiting cycle as the draft moves closer, everyone is watching to get intel on what your plans are.
Even the Richmond recruiting team can’t get away with getting on a flight to Mildura, where Sam Cumming is from, and they were spotted.
The Tigers ended up taking Cumming with their first choice on draft night.
You find every club is watching really closely as to what final interviews are going on to build their intelligence.
One tactic that is best in the lead into the draft, instead of avoiding the players you like, the best thing to do is meet and interview everyone because you still have to do the work.
Instead of being worried about being spotted in Mildura, you are better off being spotted everywhere and the other clubs can’t work out what you are doing.
That is better than not being spotted talking to a player and falling short.
It is no secret Richmond is right into the draft now and refreshing the list.
They brought in eight players through the draft last year and did a huge amount of work.
Credit to Blair Hartley and the list management team, the draft hand they were able to manufacture last year to start off a rebuild with seven picks inside 30 was as good and as systematic as you will ever see.
It took some senior players to leave to create that hand.
A lot of those moves are either players identifying the club has taken a certain direction, so they are choosing to go to another program that is more in contention.
Or there will be healthy strategic conversation with players to advise them the direction the club is heading in and encourage them to look at other options.
You have to earmark players that have got high currency as well, because if players don’t have currency you are better off keeping them and using them to stay competitive.
There is a lot of strategy but it needs to be handled with respect and care as well.
Most football people and players understand the strategy if it is done the right way.
The Tigers are also very strategic at putting themselves right at the front of the draft through ladder finish and the pick they got from North Melbourne for the 2025 draft, which allows them to avoid some academy bidding.
They are really clear on where they sit with their list build and trading is on the back burner until they settle on their list and settle on what they need.
If you are a Richmond supporter I think you’re getting clear messaging out of the club on where your Tigers are at.
Because Richmond were in a good position in the draft, they would have been open to approaches from other clubs.
Many clubs will approach you to move up the board or encourage you to split a pick.
Hartley commented that there wasn’t enough substance in those discussions, despite a lot of phone calls.
Some of the best decisions you can make are ones you say no to.
In the trade and draft period you can get a lot of opportunities but sometimes saying no can be the best thing you can do.
You have to listen to offers and stay open and keep the phone on because you never know when a good deal will come up like it did last year with North Melbourne trading their first pick to Richmond.
Those are the moves that can set up football clubs and list management is about identifying opportunities.
North Melbourne were eager to make that move and Richmond pounced on it and have drafted Sam Grlj with that choice.
Sometimes opportunities present you need to take and other times you say no that could prove to be a really important move as part of their build.
Richmond had Louis Kellaway as a father-son option, his dad was 180-game Tiger Duncan, but didn’t end up taking him on board.
It is challenging to manage expectations with father-sons, particularly now you are developing these boys from a few years out.
I took note that Richmond had visited the family home recently and would have been in close contact with his manager.
They spoke highly of his skills and ability but weren’t able to pick him and would have managed the player and his family as best they could.
Interestingly, they did trade for Patrick Retschko from Geelong on deadline day.
I thought that was really good business from both clubs.
He was a player that was going to be delisted so Geelong was happy to facilitate that trade rather than have the player wait until the delisted free agency period.
Recruiters have long memories, while some wouldn’t know about Retschko, he played for Oakleigh and showed some good form in his draft year.
Often recruiters keep an eye on players they rated highly and if they don’t come on, not a lot of time has gone past and they remember them and can try to get them across to their club.
He is 19 now, finds the footy and is a good athlete.
Geelong were able to facilitate a trade to get him in early, that is good will from Geelong to do that and those things can pay you back later on.
With so much young talent on the list, Richmond will look to its veterans to help develop the future stars.
It can come together a lot quicker than people think so the senior players will have their minds set on success, but they have important jobs and there is a lot of reward in helping the young players through.
The younger faces probably bring a bit of fresh air to the club and a freshness to the senior players as well that can regenerate their careers.
The senior players will get good satisfaction out of helping them but it also gives some good energy for their own careers.
LIST OVERVIEWList changes In:Patrick Retschko (Geelong), Sam Cumming (draft No. 7), Samuel Grlj (draft No.
, Zane Peucker (draft No. 31), Noah Roberts-Thomson (draft No. 51)
Out: Tylar Young (West Coast), Jacob Bauer, Jacob Blight, Mate Colina, Thomson Dow, Jacob Koschitzke, Kamdyn McIntosh (trade)
List gapsRichmond is still building its list and will fill some areas of need in coming years but they clearly looked for a bit of speed at the draft by taking Sam Cumming and Sam Grlj with their first two picks.
In the modern game that athleticism is a critical piece.
So is the football IQ, you want players that are athletic but have strong footy smarts, high levels of skill and are competitors.
To get that combination you are usually having to take players with top 10 picks and they have been well placed for some of these types.
Richmond had a look at Malcolm Rosas Jr but didn’t secure him.
They are pretty strong in that small forward area with Seth Campbell, Rhyan Mansell, Taj Hotton and Maurice Rioli.
List strengthsRichmond lost Tylar Young to West Coast in a trade but they have reasonable depth in that area so were supportive of him moving on.
With Nick Vlastuin, Nathan Broad, Noah Balta and Jayden Short, the Tigers still have plenty of experience in defence and will hope Josh Gibcus and Luke Trainor develop nicely there.
Draft resultRichmond’s first pick, Sam Cumming is a player with real speed and power.
In his highlights you see a lot of his tackling and he can go overhead and kick long goals.
I noticed Sam Grlj had a Carlton screen saver on his phone so had to change that over pretty quickly.
He had some real dash about him and played with the Oakleigh Chargers and a bit with the Richmond VFL.
I was impressed watching a post-draft video of him with Adem Yze and the first thing he said was to thank him for the opportunity, which was really humble and it was a good first impression.
Often you have a bit of a smokey that you rate, Richmond made comments that they think they will definitely get their player on the second night and Zane was drafted well ahead where some others ranked him.
You could see how excited the club are about him and they must have rated him highly.
Often you have a player in your top 25 who isn’t on other club radars.
He looks like he finds the footy and gets prolific amounts of the ball thanks to some good footy smarts.
Noah Roberts-Thomson, the cousin of Lewis, looks to be a pretty quick forward with good running ability and has plenty of shots on goal.
Salary capWith so much young talent on the list, Richmond will be in a strong position with the salary cap.
They will be saving money at the moment and presumably front-ending contracts and extending out these good young players on new deals.
It is also a good opportunity to set the cultural approach to contracting so these young players will be excited to stay at the club and long into their careers and keep the young talent all together.
While there will be money available at the moment it will be responsible to keep them all together as they develop.
HIGH PERFORMANCE CHECK-INIt is really important to have a strong development coaching team and high performance resources to get the players at a level to be able to hit the track when a club has as much young high-end talent as Richmond.
The big thing for Adem Yze and his coaching staff is to get access to these players, you want them fit and strong on the track as much as possible.
It is really important for the high performance team to develop them to a level they can do that.
You get a variety of players in the draft these days, the school systems and state leagues are getting more sophisticated in their resources and players are now enrolling in academies and private training.
That means there are a lot of younger players who come into clubs with high performance knowledge but at the same time you still get some players who come in quite raw, so there is some variety in what you get through.
If players have a bit more of an idea on high performance training it can help fast track them when they get in.
INJURY WATCH 🔍Josh Smillie was the only one of Richmond’s deep group of 2024 draftees who didn’t play this year and he has gone in for surgery again at the start of pre-season.
The No.7 pick is a long term player so hopefully they can get him right.
THE COACH’S BOXIt was great to see Luke Breust joining the Tigers as a development coach alongside his good mate Taylor Duryea.
To get picked up from Temora in New South Wales at pick 47 in the rookie draft, play 308 games and have the career he did with three premierships was remarkable.
Breust will bring plenty of different experience to help the young Tigers, and they are pretty fortunate to have him walk through the door.
The Tigers lost Ben Rutten from their coaching panel, as he went to Port Adelaide as football GM.
Ben has been a senior AFL coach and taken on a senior role at Richmond.
Making the switch into football management, it is a very different role overseeing a staffing group and the operations of a football department.
Often as a GM of football, clubs will look for a certain style and Port Adelaide have gone with Ben and his coaching background, which should complement Josh Carr as a first-year coach.
FRONT OFFICERichmond is undergoing a redevelopment at Punt Rd, which is being led by Shane Dunne, who is a reasonably recently appointed CEO.
Shane has a fair bit on his plate with the rebuild of a playing list and also the redevelopment but has an impressive background through his work at the club and as CEO of Aligned Leisure.
He has settled into the role well and is clearly invested in the future of the club.
I’ve been fortunate enough to spend some time at the club in recent weeks working on a review of the AFLW program and have seen the hard work going into the club redevelopment as the Tigers set up for a new era.
With the nine top-30 picks brought in over the last 12 months, it is a pretty exciting time for them to build together coming off recent success.
2026 PREDICTIONThe Bottom Six (13-18)The Tigers have a strong list management strategy in place and know where they sit in the scheme of things.
They are on a strong, accelerated path to build a talented list and rise back up the ladder.
https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/the-footy-boss-brad-lloyd-unpacks-all-things-richmond/news-story/0deae57e675cc93a291e776aba291516
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