HOULI ‘DEFINITELY’ KEEN TO PLAY ONTriple premiership Tiger Bachar Houli says he’s “100 per cent sure” he wants to play on in 2022, but two Fox Footy commentators believe Richmond should make the tough call and not offer the veteran another contract.
Injured have limited Houli to just 12 games this season. He missed the first three games of the Tigers’ 2021 campaign due to a calf issue, while a syndesmosis injury suffered against Gold Coast in Round 16 forced him to undergo surgery that was set to rule him out for the rest of the season.
However Houli told Triple M on Friday night he was hopeful of returning from injury for Richmond’s Round 23 clash, adding: “I know it’s a little bit late, but hopefully not too late.”
Beyond Round 23, the 33-year-old remains out of contract – and Houli said he “definitely” wants to play on in 2022.
“It’s something that I’ve had in mind before I got injured,” Houli Triple M on Friday night. “Even when I got injured, I asked a question at the football club with those that make decisions with contracts.
“I’m 100 per cent sure that I want to go on. I feel like my body, once it was up and going, it was going really well, I was covering the ground really well and I was playing consistent football.
“I’m not slowing down. I had an injury that wasn’t relevant to my calves, which is a bonus. I definitely want to go on.”
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick, though, remained tight-lipped about Houli’s future when asked to respond to the defender’s comments from earlier in the night.
“From a list management point of view we’ll work our way through that,” Hardwick told reporters post-game. “We don’t discuss those things in the media, so we’ll sit down with Bachar and figure out what that looks like moving forward.”
Triple premiership Lion Jonathan Brown said the Tigers had to make a difficult call on Houli.
“It’s a tough one, but I’d probably lean toward moving in the other direction (not offering him a contract). They’ve got to get some kids through and I think (Noah) Balta and (Nathan) Broad and (David) Astbury would probably be ahead of him in terms of their needs to come back into the side,” Brown told Fox Footy.
St Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt added: “Not for me. (Daniel) Rioli going to half-back, he’s looked pretty good across thee. (Sydney) Stack as well.
“With your senior players, you’ve got to drip them out of the club. You don’t want them leaving at the same time.”
Houli has played 232 AFL games since making his debut in 2007 for Essendon before crossing to Punt Road ahead of the 2011 season.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/department-of-trade/afl-trade-news-rumours-whispers-2021-bachar-houli-contract-jack-billings-port-adelaide-st-kilda-free-agency-pick/news-story/5480ec0d92216673fad783fb91873018
