Quiet trade period no concern for Geelong and RichmondEd Bourke
HeraldSun
October 19, 2023 Richmond and Geelong stood out during the trade period for their lack of big name acquisitions but both clubs defended their lack of action adamant they have strong enough lists to return to finals after missing the action this September.
Premiers in four of the past seven seasons, the Tigers and Cats both fell away this year as injuries hit crucial senior players, but neither flagged any intent to bring top end talent in via trade as they hope a cleaner bill of health can generate success in 2024.
Richmond parted with fringe key position pair Ivan Soldo and Bigoa Nyuon and brought in Hawthorn forward Jacob Koschitzke.
Tigers list boss Blair Hartley said Koschitzke would not have to “replace” retired goalkicking great Jack Riewoldt but would help their forward line keep its shape in the absence of the champion, who will leave a large void along with triple premiership skipper Trent Cotchin.
Hartley said Richmond, under new coach Adem Yze, was happy to build its list using an even blend of draft, trade and free agency after trading out of the 2022 draft to secure GWS midfielders Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto.
The Tigers only hold picks 29 and 41 in the first three rounds of the draft but remain highly optimistic about their 2021 national draft class, of which all five players remain on the list and have earnt AFL debuts.
The resurgence of GWS under first-year coach Adam Kingsley has also instilled belief they can rise quickly with new coach Adem Yze at the helm.
“The challenge of the draft and free agency system is you can try one avenue to try and improve your list, and we’re trying to look at all avenues,” Hartley said.
“We’re excited about our draft from 2021, prior to trading in Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto ... we had five picks inside (the top) 30 in what we thought was a really strong draft, and we’ve positioned ourselves in a strong draft again (in 2024).”
https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/afl-2023-quiet-trade-period-no-concern-for-geelong-and-richmond/news-story/3b3f545efc4d1a8ef6ed96cf69dba1ae