Brett Deledio wants to be a one-club player at RichmondJON RALPH
Herald Sun
September 24, 2016 BRETT Deledio says he is determined to emulate the one-club status of loyal champions Bob Murphy and Nick Riewoldt.
But the Richmond midfielder admits his future is out of his control as he witnesses an AFL landscape becoming more like America’s professional sporting codes.
Deledio, 29, has been linked to a move from Richmond in recent days, with Geelong one club with clear interest in the Tigers line-breaker.
He told the Herald Sun he had been given no inclination from Richmond he was trade bait, and is intent on honouring a contract that expires at the end of next year.
He believes the calf and Achilles problems that have plagued his past three seasons have been overcome after an adjustment in his training loads.
Whether he can prove that at Richmond or another club is out of his hands, but he wants to stay.
“That is the idea. I wouldn’t have signed the contract if I didn’t want to stay here and that’s all I have been saying the whole way through,’’ he said.
“That is the beauty of what you see with players like Bob Murphy and Nick Riewoldt. They are legends of their clubs.
“But no player is ever bigger than the club and if that’s where Richmond see fit, I have been lucky enough to play 12 years at Richmond and will forever be grateful for that opportunity.
“They have been great support to me over the years and if that was to be it, then it’s up to them.”
Deledio will be a free agent at the end of 2017, which means trading him this year rather than losing him then would provide a better return.
He knows clubs are increasingly considering those options in a more fluid player movement market.
“I understand it is becoming more and more like American sports. Players are moving and chopping and changing and clubs are trying to get the best for them.
“I am not dumb. I have been in the game for long enough to know what could happen.
“We will start to see more and more of it rather than less or less.”
But he believes he can play well into his 30s despite the continuing Achilles and calf issues which have derailed the start of his past three seasons.
“I am on top of everything now, which is good. We basically just off-loaded too much on the Wednesdays so Monday and Friday I would run and we tried to look after the Achilles which made me have calf problems.
“So we are back running three days a week and it’s allowed me to stay fresh. We were trying to look after the Achilles and not doing enough.
“It’s a funny tendon and it needs work so I have spoken to our physio, who I completely trust, and we have spoken to other specialists and they are all of the same opinion.”
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/brett-deledio-wants-to-be-a-oneclub-player-at-richmond/news-story/07196a4d13dafdd7582a1a8ac7d50743
