Now official ...
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/2013-02-25/richardson-appointed-as-general-manager-of-footballTigers pick a winner Caroline Wilson
The Age
February 23, 2013 RICHMOND looks poised to secure one of the AFL's most respected player agents, Daniel Richardson, to take over the Tigers' football department on the eve of the 2013 season.
The Tigers, who did not advertise the position, have been in talks with the 42-year-old associate director of Elite Sports Properties over the past two weeks after Craig Cameron's decision to move to a key executive role in the thoroughbred industry.
A major player in the competition's move to free agency and a close confidant of some of football's biggest names, Richardson is the son of the Tigers' three-time premiership player Barry, who also coached and briefly presided over the club.
With the club expected to announce Cameron's replacement as early as Monday, Richardson's appointment would be something of a coup for the club given his reputation as a skilled negotiator who as recently as two weeks ago was in talks with the Tigers in a bid to secure a new deal for young skipper Trent Cotchin.
Richardson was encouraged to put himself forward for the Richmond football operations position after Greg Miller's departure more than four years ago, but chose to remain at Craig Kelly's ESP, where over more than a decade he has guided the careers of players such as Brad Ottens, Brendon Goddard, Dan Hannebery and, more recently, Jobe Watson.
Richardson also sat on the Player Agents Accreditation Board, which in recent years moved to suspend Ricky Nixon - Richardson's former employer - and in January Peter Blucher. He negotiated favourable exit settlements for sacked coaching clients Matthew Knights and Mark Harvey and has also represented recently re-signed North Melbourne coach Brad Scott.
There has been speculation for some months that Richardson was looking to expand his horizons and move from player management to a club environment or possibly a position with the AFL. He is understood to have been approached by more than one club over the past six months.
He is an old Xaverian who played in six consecutive VAFA premierships alongside AFL executive Andrew Dillon; another former amateur football premiership teammate of Richardson's, Simon Lethlean, is a contender to replace Adrian Anderson at the helm of the league's football operations department.
Richardson is believed to have been in more meaningful discussions regarding his future in recent days with his friend and employer Kelly, whose stable has lured South Australian player manager Justin Reid - the son of former Crows football boss John Reid - to ESP's Melbourne headquarters.
Richardson also worked closely with Tigers chief Brendon Gale when the latter ran the AFL Players Association and is a confidant of Richmond president Gary Marc.
Neither was available for comment on Friday.
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http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/tigers-pick-a-winner-20130222-2ex3f.html#ixzz2LeUK1TkP
