Five trade targets for every AFL team: Richmond TigersHarrison McIlwaine
zerohanger.com
1 July 2026There was a universally acknowledged grace period afforded Adem Yze when he took control of a footy club in free fall.
The Tigers had accepted their fate. The faithful were content - how could they not be after three flags in four years? But more than that, they understood some lean years were in front of them.
Richmond had embarked upon a period of transition. The head coach, the CEO and the overwhelming bulk of the playing list that had featured in such a fairytale period for the yellow and black were now just faces in framed photos that Yze infamously sought to pull from the walls early in his reign, that the club may point their focus forward.
That grace period is approaching its natural conclusion, and Yze's win-loss ledger needs semi-urgent squaring.
The club's draft focus was a necessary one, and its hauls, historic. As yet, glimpses are all fans have seen of the princes that were promised, as most of the clubs's cubs are perpetually hampered by injuries of varying significance.
The kids will be a large part of the pitch put to trade targets as the club get busy courting some of the league's brightest names, with the next phase of the rebuild on the horizon.
But just who are some of the names the Tigers have been tied to, and who are some realistic targets that will meaningfully lift this side's ceiling?
Take a look!
Zak ButtersButters' signature is the the second biggest prize in football this season.
The inspirational Port Adelaide dynamo is handling his impending free agency with an admirable unflappability, consistently turning in exceptional performances while his name and speculation around his future lead panel shows and inform talkback radio segments.
Richmond's war chest has been made public in recent times, as has the initial, eye-watering offer the club put to the 25-year-old.
Security in the form of an eight-year term, a figure in the realm of $18 million and the promise of captaincy are all believed to be facets of the deal put to Butters' management by Blair Hartley and co.
There's no doubt Butters makes any side in the competition better, and he'd more than fill a need in Yze's structure. The Tigers are well placed to negotiate with Port Adelaide - something that will likely be necessary given the 'restricted' nature of his free agency - courtesy of their draft hand, spate of young talent and salary cap room. Can they edge out clubs currently in the window, however? Time will tell.
Nick MaddenToby Nankervis has been a combative warrior for this Richmond side for almost a decade, and has three premiership medallions to show for it.
But the toll of the ruck role is starting to tell. Nankervis is a lot closer to the end of his career than the start, and the Tigers could do a lot worse than to put contingencies in place for life after their current skipper.
A 'Moneyball'-type acquisition could be GWS' emerging ruckman Nick Madden.
A Giants' academy graduate, the New South Welshman could be reluctant to leave the club, but Richmond have leverage in the form of their 'big four' status. Burgeoning MCG crowds, a larger profile, business opportunities and the like are part of the package with Victorian powerhouses such as the "Tigs", and something many have struggled to look past in recent times.
After just six outings at the top level in four years west of the Harbour City, a fresh start could appeal to Madden just as much as a Nankervis replacement appeals to Richmond.
Mitch LewisWith the Hawthorn Hawks odds-on favourites to land the first domino in the key forward sweepstakes this off-season, in the form of Ben King, the Tigers will need to think laterally in finding an apt replacement for the ageing and waning Tom Lynch.
Mitch Lewis will likely be deemed surplus to requirements at Dingley if King indeed trades his cherry red Suns kit for the famed brown and gold stripes - he already finds himself fighting for position with the likes of Jack Gunston, Mabior Chol, and to a lesser extent, Calsher Dear in the Hawks' key forward room.
Dear, despite not seeing much game time this season, is more likely to renew his contract at Hawthorn than Lewis, given his father-son ties, younger age and significantly healthier injury history.
Lewis, at his best, is a presence not to be underestimated - a pack-crashing game-breaker who can clunk them and kick truly. He's what Lynch used to be, and the kind of player the Tigers are crying out for, forward of the ball. An unrestricted free agent at season's end, he'd cost the Tigers nothing in draft capital.
Darcy WilsonWhere there's smoke there's fire, and plenty of smoke surround St Kilda's young running machine, Darcy Wilson.
The Saints would understandably hate to lose their third-year wingman, but he's still yet to re-sign, and driving up his price tag almost weekly. Since his side's Round 5 rendezvous with Port Adelaide, the Murray Bushrangers product has dipped below 20 disposals just once, while notching eleven majors from those nine outings. It's telling form for a third-year player, especially one habitually deployed in a role not known for being one where players garner plenty of the pill, or regularly impact the scoreboard.
If the Tigers can convince the 20-year-old to depart Moorabbin for the hustle and bustle of their Yarra Park digs, and it remains a big if, the Tigers have plenty to offer a St Kilda outfit that would be eager to maximise whatever return they'd be forced into begrudgingly accepting, lest he leave for nothing.
Bailey HumphreyHe's probably more of a luxury than a piece pivotal to propelling a rebuild, but Bailey Humphrey is a player made for the big stage.
With his ability to impact in the centre square or forward line, and the budding tattoo collection, Humphrey has drawn obvious, albeit premature comparisons to Richmond's favourite son, in Dustin Martin.
Put this contracted Sun in front of big crowds and let him go to work. An instinctual footballer with the match-winning gene, Humphrey oozes the x-factor this side needs. The combination he could hypothetically form with Sam Lalor, who's shown significant promise himself, should send Tiger tails a-wagging.
Humphrey was pushed out of the on-ball brigade by Christian Petracca's arrival, and despite a contract tying him to the club until the end of 2028, has pined for the exits, with clubs in his native Victoria in the box seat to procure the wantaway talent.
The Suns would understandably want to maximise their return for the sixth pick of the 2022 National Draft, and few, if any, can match the haul at the Tigers' disposal.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/sport/afl/five-trade-targets-for-every-afl-team-richmond-tigers/ar-AA26sUc8
