Tyrone Vickery trade: Richmond is considering matching Hawthorn’s free agent offer to force a tradeJake Niall
Foxsports
15 September 2016RICHMOND is considering matching a free agent offer for Tyrone Vickery, in a move that could force Hawthorn to trade for the forward.
The Tigers have indicated to third parties that they would match an offer for Vickery if that offer does not provide the club with adequate compensation in the draft.
Hawthorn has reportedly made Vickery a three year offer. Under the usual pattern of free agency, Vickery’s current club would simply let him leave and accept whatever draft pick his contract earns.
But the Tigers, clearly, recognise that if Hawthorn hands Vickery a modest contract then the compensation pick will be in the later rounds of the draft. Carlton did not receive any compensation for Jarrad Waite, who joined North Melbourne on a two year deal at end of 2014.
The Tigers can match any offer because Vickery is a restricted free agent — which places him in the top 25 per cent for player payments at Richmond. Vickery is understood to have been paid more than $400,000 this year.
Richmond does not have an offer on the table for Vickery, who is overseas.
If the Tigers aren’t bluffing and they do match a Vickery offer, this could force the Hawks to give up a draft pick for the tall forward, in what could be a small complication to Hawthorn’s plans to land Gold Coast midfielder Jaeger O’Meara and Sydney’s Tom Mitchell.
Technically no club has formally matched a free agent offer, although the Adelaide Crows effectively did so by telling Geelong that they would match the six year offer for Patrick Dangerfield — a move that compelled the Cats to trade for the superstar, rather than picking him up for nothing.
For the Cats, the advantage of trading for Dangerfield was that it enabled them to acquire the superstar on a highly affordable contract — close to $850,000 per season — and they did not have to increase their offer to an astronomical level that Adelaide wouldn’t match.
Vickery has had an indifferent 2016 and ended the season in the VFL, as the Tigers trialled younger players. He has shown considerable ability in the past, however, and is a proven goalkicker. He booted 36 goals in 2011 and 31 goals in 15 games in 2015.
Hawthorn confirmed earlier this week that O’Meara has requested a trade to the Hawks.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/richmond-is-considering-matching-hawthorns-free-agent-offer-for-tyrone-vickery-to-force-a-trade/news-story/c2825a5bf80032344307ae64a8fc66cf