Tigers target Mundy as Victorian Dockers delay talks
Digby Beacham | June 21, 2008
RICHMOND has identified out-of-contract Fremantle defender David Mundy as a key recruiting target.
And the Tigers, conscious of strengthening a list that is almost certain to miss the finals for the fourth consecutive year under Terry Wallace's reign, continue to express strong interest in gifted young ruckman Robert Warnock.
Victorian trio Mundy, Warnock and key forward Ryan Murphy have deferred contract talks with Fremantle until the end of the season.
It is understood that the Tigers, who last played finals football in 2001, want to entice established, young talent to Punt Road, either through the trade period or in the pre-season draft.
Richmond's football director, Greg Miller, did not return calls.
Anthony McConville, the manager of both Mundy and Murphy, revealed last month that all talks had been postponed. Yesterday he said nothing had changed.
"We will be putting all discussions on hold until the season has finished," McConville said.
McConville said Fremantle had been in regular contact in a bid to re-ignite talks over Mundy, a second-round draft selection in the 2003 national draft who has played every game this year for a total of 77.
"We have had regular contact with (commercial operations manager) Steve Rosich, Mark Harvey and the Fremantle Football Club," McConville said.
Mundy, who will turn 23 next month, has also attracted interest from Hawthorn, but the premiership contenders are not expected to be in a strong position to trade for him.
Warnock, in the final year of a three-season deal, disclosed late last week that he rejected a new deal from Fremantle, which is desperate to keep him. Warnock, the brother of Melbourne key defender Matthew, has been disappointed at spending most of this season in the WAFL.
"You don't want to be over here to play WAFL. Obviously playing AFL does make it a lot easier (to stay)," he said.
"I played all right in the West Coast game and the week after that was Richmond and we got fairly well beaten.
"They had to make a few changes and I was unfortunately one of them and had to go back to WAFL and try to earn my stripes again. It has been frustrating."
The contracts of a number Fremantle players expire on October 31, including: Mundy, Warnock, Murphy, Jeff Farmer, Josh Carr, Dean Solomon, Peter Bell, Paul Duffield, Andrew Foster, Brock O'Brien, Andrew Browne, Scott Thornton, Shaun McManus and Luke Webster.
Veterans Heath Black and Mark Johnson are contracted until the end of 2009.
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