Could ex-Tiger be back in yellow and black?By Callum Twomey, Mitch Cleary and Michael Whiting
afl.com.au
13 May 2021WILL RICHMOND HAVE A MID-SEASON DRAFT PICK?RICHMOND'S involvement in this year's NAB AFL Mid-Season Rookie Draft, having been the unequivocal winner of its reintroduction two seasons ago, is likely to hinge on the progress of ruckman Ivan Soldo in his return from a knee reconstruction.
The Tigers picked then 27-year-old Marlion Pickett in the mid-season intake in 2019, proving to be one of the all-time great draft choices as he went on to debut in that season's Toyota AFL Grand Final victory over Greater Western Sydney before becoming a two-time premiership player last year.
But the club at this point does not have a spot open for this year's mid-season rookie draft, which will be held after round 11 on June 2.
Unless the Tigers suffer a season-ending injury in the next three weeks, the club's decision on whether it takes a selection could come down to Soldo's progress from his knee reconstruction, which hit a setback in recent weeks.
The 2019 premiership big man went down with the torn anterior cruciate ligament in September last year. He recently had an arthroscope and then earlier this month had further surgery to tighten his medial ligament. The club said last week it would be "very cautious" with his return.
Richmond can open a place in the mid-season draft by pushing Soldo to the inactive list, however it would mean that he is not available for selection for the rest of 2021 as the mid-season pick would be using his spot.
TIGER TURNED CROW BACK TO TIGERLAND?RICHMOND is keeping tabs on its former small forward Tyson Stengle over the potential of a career renaissance at Punt Road.
The ex-Tiger parted ways with Adelaide after two seasons in March this year with part of his settlement allowing him to be eligible for the Mid-Season Rookie Draft on June 2.
Richmond's mid-season plans are currently dependent on Soldo's recovery, with the Tigers among a host of clubs monitoring Stengle for what could also present as an option for a lifeline in the player movement window at season's end.
The 23-year-old has had a strong start to the SANFL season for Woodville-West Torrens, booting four goals against the Crows in his first game and has averaged 16 disposals from his three full matches.
Several AFL clubs are expected to do their due diligence on a player the Crows extended until 2022 in August last year before he was caught with drugs alongside Brad Crouch in September and later pictured with an illicit substance in December.
While Stengle is free to find a new AFL home next month, some clubs are keen to see how he performs over the length of a full season.
Should he be recruited to move to Melbourne, Stengle would likely link up with former Crows teammate and Carlton veteran Eddie Betts who remains a close mentor. Betts and Stengle also shared time together late last year.
Despite wanting to keep Stengle, the Tigers traded the crumbing forward to Adelaide at the end of 2018 after two games in yellow and black in 2017. Stengle played two games for the Crows in 2019 and featured in the season-opener in 2020 before he was banned for four matches for drink-driving in April, only to win his spot straight back and play a further 11 games for the season.
https://www.afl.com.au/news/612320/rival-clubs-circle-gun-swan-could-ex-tiger-be-back-in-yellow-and-black-
