Who makes the calls on your club's recruits?afl.com.au
19 July 2017RECRUITING departments are tasked with perhaps the most difficult job at every AFL club: shaping their team's direction in the short, medium and long term. They are all at different stages of their road towards a premiership, but the job insists they must take a broader look all of the time.
There's the trade targets. The retention of their own players. The scouting of this year's draft, next year's draft and the one after that. Then there's the strategy, the planning, the meetings, the decisions and the minutiae that lies behind the scenes.
So how does your club do it? AFL.com.au looked at each club's recruiting and list management department, uncovering who does what, who makes the tough calls and how each is a little bit different to the next.
RICHMONDRichmond's recruiting set up underwent change at the end of last year when Neil Balme came to the club as football manager.
It meant
Dan Richardson moved more into a general manager role focused on talent, and he handles Tigers contracts and total player payments. He's also responsible for the Tigers' Next Generation Academy program, into which the club has invested plenty of time and sees as a big part of its recruiting future.
Blair Hartley is in charge of the list and its direction, while
Matthew Clarke, in his first year as the club's recruiting manager, will have two first-round picks at this year's draft.
Everyone in the Tigers' group has an eye over the national pool, but recruiting officers
Luke Williams (Victoria),
Richard Taylor (division two states and academies) and
Francis Jackson (future drafts) watch over specific areas as well.
Opposition analyst and pro scout
Nick Austin rounds out the Tigers' team, with the club having 10 extra scouts in part-time positions.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2017-07-19/who-makes-the-calls-on-your-clubs-recruits
