Dion Prestia will sign five-year contract at Richmond if Gold Coast and Tigers agree to a trade
Jake Niall
Prestia, who has long been favoured to join Richmond, has confirmed the Tigers as his preferred destination in recent days, with his management informing other clubs that Prestia had nominated Richmond.
While the Suns and Tigers have not yet discussed the terms of any trade — and cannot lodge a deal until October — it is understood that the Tigers are willing to part with either their first draft pick this year (currently No. 6) or to give up next year’s first choice.
The Tigers will wait to see what the Suns demand and could even consider a deal involving a Richmond player. If the Suns snared Richmond’s first pick, they would have three picks inside the top 10, having picks No. 5 and 9 based on current ladder
Suns have indicated they will play hard ball in negotiations over Prestia, saying that the Adam Treloar deal — in which Collingwood gave up two first-rounders and received a second-round pick back from the Giants — had set the standard for Prestia and Jaeger O’Meara, should the latter out-of-contract midfielder also decide to leave.
Some observers have questioned Prestia’s choice of Richmond, given the club’s struggles this season, but Prestia — who wanted to return to Melbourne — is believed to have taken a long-term view, bearing in mind that he is still just 23-years-old.
A number of Melbourne clubs had registered an interest in the out of contract Prestia, whom the Suns had suspected was leaving for some time.
Richmond believes Tyrone Vickery, a free agent, has found a club and is likely to leave at season’s end. The Tigers are expected to re-sign Ben Griffiths, who has been preferred over Vickery lately as a forward supporting Jack Riewoldt.
Richmond, which has undertaken a searching review of its football operations, is set to make a significant number of changes to both its playing list and football staff in the post-season, but has said senior coach Damien Hardwick will keep his job in 2017.
http://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/dion-prestia-will-sign-fiveyear-contract-at-richmond-if-gold-coast-and-tigers-agree-to-a-trade/news-story/0895aea6667e3742f357de409068d8b4
