Richmond veteran Kamdyn McIntosh, uncertain of contract status beyond this season, hopes to re-signDaniel Cherny
HeraldSun
May 13, 2023Free agent Kamdyn McIntosh has declared he wants to be a “Tiger for life” but is unclear on where his contract talks with Richmond sit.
However, buoyed by his side’s upset 24-point win over reigning premiers Geelong at the MCG on Friday night, McIntosh said he believed the Tigers were still capable of beating any side and could yet mount an unlikely finals run despite their poor start to the season.
Admittedly helped by a long list of outs for the Cats, Richmond – themselves still undermanned – led at every change to notch their third win for the season with a performance that losing coach Chris Scott said was much more like the Tigers of their modern premiership trilogy.
With their surge game humming and pressure on the opposition ball carrier closer to their best than previous weeks, Richmond issued a message to the doubters that there was still life left in the Tigers in 2023 even after five straight losses between rounds three and seven.
“We feel like our system’s been good, just a few skill executions in offence that we need to clean up but I feel like us boys believe in ourselves well enough that we are a good side and we’ve just got to stay positive,” McIntosh said post-match.
“So the vibe around the footy club the last six weeks or so has been really good. And you’ve just got to keep showing up and bring the positive energy.
“I think that it just shows that you know, whether the media or the commentary from the outside people think they write us off, the belief within the playing group is much stronger than that. We know our best footy is able to beat anybody.
“And today was a perfect example. People thought we weren‘t gonna be able to get out there and get the win. But we knew within ourselves that if we play our football and our way then you know, we can beat anybody. So I think we are and the belief is there that we can, what I said at the start of the year, we are a good enough side to play finals footy. “
McIntosh said the Tigers had embraced the idea that they had been written off in some quarters.
“I guess there‘s that sort of underdog mentality, you know, that obviously goes around a little bit. It drives you, it motivates you,” he said.
“Dimma (coach Damien Hardwick) has just been unbelievable through that five week period there where we lost just to keep the belief within the playing group. He was showing us edits of the good poo that we’re doing out there and how good of a side we actually are.”
Without individualising, McIntosh said that Richmond’s players had rallied around under-fire players.
“There‘s definitely some players that are going through whatever they’re going through. But the best thing about our team and our group is that we help each other through those moments. And we can understand when each other’s going through those moments to get them out of it. And we’re very understanding of it. So I think the best part of our side is that we do go through it, but we get out of it quickly by helping each other out of it.”
McIntosh, 29, is an unrestricted free agent after a decade at Punt Road. The West Australian wingman, a dual premiership player, said he wanted to stay at the club but said he was in the dark on his future.
“I don‘t really know to be honest. I just let my manager Colin (Young) take care of that. One of my things that I do is I don’t even want to talk to my manager about anything until the final day where he says what’s going on,” McIntosh said.
“Obviously, I want to be a one-club man and a Tiger for life. Two premierships here at the club, my heart’s pretty close to the club. I love the boys and this is my family. So it’d be pretty nice to stay, but we’ll see.”
McIntosh said he had taken a leadership role within the club, mentoring the likes of Sam Banks, Judson Clarke and Jack Ross. He added that he would also help guide a first-year players camp in the coming weeks on the Mornington Peninsula.
https://www.codesports.com.au/afl/richmond/richmond-veteran-kamdyn-mcintosh-uncertain-of-contract-status-beyond-this-season-hopes-to-resign/news-story/24414e1f602528eba126cf0226cff2d8
