Dimma's explanation for why we bidded on academy players ....RICHMOND tested the waters before landing their big catch at the AFL draft.
... immediately before coach Damien Hardwick announced the Rioli name was returning to Punt Rd after nearly two decades, Richmond tried out the new live bid system.
The Tigers recruited Rioli only after unsuccessful bids for academy players Matthew Kennedy at No.13 and Eric Hipwood at 14. GWS predictably matched Richmond’s bid to secure Kennedy and Brisbane did the same to ensure they took Hipwood.
The live bids were introduced in an effort to ensure fair value for academy and father-son draft nominations.
“If there was a player who we liked at that pick, we were always going to ... try and pick that player, even though the reality was that we weren’t going to get him,” coach Damien Hardwick said of the two unsuccessful draft picks.
“From our point of view, for the integrity of the competition, we thought it was the right thing to do.
“We were sort of hoping one might slip through, (but) it wasn’t the case.
“It (live bidding) adds something to the competition ... provided it is done in the right way.”
Then came the straightforward selection that brought Rioli to the Tigers.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/afl-premiership/afl-draft-daniel-rioli-brings-family-name-x-factor-back-to-richmond/story-e6frf3e3-1227622395230
