Michael Gleeson | The Age | September 24, 2008 Cameron, who was confirmed in the Tigers' senior football position yesterday only seven months after he joined the club as the list manager, said the club was well placed with young talent, which left it open to trades for mature players. He was doubtful that that would include drafting Ben Cousins.
"We have to be open-minded about trades, I wouldn't like to put us in hole and not take anyone over 25. But I think our philosophy will be to go to the draft," Cameron said. "At this stage, I think (Cousins) is probably not one for us."
Richmond's older players will remain at the club next year. The club is finalising a contract with Joel Bowden and negotiations are continuing with captain Kane Johnson for next season, while Matthew Richardson, Nathan Brown and Troy Simmonds are all contracted.
"I don't think the older guys are ready to drop off the perch right this second, so I imagine that some of them might play on beyond next year," Cameron said. "So maybe we can squeeze a little bit more of them (to bridge the gap as the younger players mature)."
Cameron's appointment came after a lengthy process, and one that troubled coach Terry Wallace for his lack of involvement in selection for the important position. With Wallace in the final year of his five-year contract next year, the renewal or otherwise of his contract will be one of the most significant issues confronting Cameron.
"Terry and I have spoken about that and at the moment, he is comfortable with where things are at in terms of he has a year to go and it will play itself out and outside of that, we probably won't talk about it too much," Cameron said.
"There is no doubt the groundwork is done in terms of the list, we need to keep adding to it.
"If you look at the age breakdown and the number of games played and finals games, a lot of the work needed is just time and whether Terry is the right guy to take that to the next step is a decision we have to make in the next 12 months."
The Tigers will hire two new recruiting staff and Francis Jackson will remain as head recruiter while Cameron manages the list and contracts. All assistant coaches who were out of contract have been re-signed and further coaches may yet be hired.
"I think the important thing for us is to bring in a long-term strategy and make sure that we have an operational plan that underpins that strategy, so we need to make sure we don't take this year's burst at the end of the season as an indication that we are on the way and there is nothing more to be done," he said.
"We need to make sure we have a plan going forward."
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/tigers-keep-polak-on-list/2008/09/23/1221935640785.htmlhttp://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,24393549-19742,00.html
