Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls's time for a change?Jay Clark | August 09, 2009
JARRAD Oakley-Nicholls's Richmond mentor, Phil Egan, insists a bright future awaits the young Tiger at another club next season.
Egan fears the 21-year-old will be one of "eight to 12" Richmond players axed in October due to a lack of senior opportunities to prove himself.
Oakley-Nicholls, Richmond's first selection in the 2005 national draft, has played only 13 games in four years and is today slated to line up for Coburg's reserves.
But Egan, who played 125 games for Richmond and Melbourne, was adamant the speedy flanker had enormous potential.
He said with more support, and more time running out of a defensive position, Oakley-Nicholls could lead a "David Rodan-like" revival next season.
"He's played almost every game as a forward but, to me, he is a tall, creative, quick half-back or winger that's where he played all his junior footy and that is what he was recruited as," Egan said.
"He has often played in the dead pocket up forward and even then he is hardly given much time on the ground.
"I don't think the kid has had much of a chance. David Rodan was similar he didn't get much of an opportunity at Richmond but since moving to Port Adelaide he has blossomed under Mark Williams."
Oakley-Nicholls has not played a senior game under interim coach Jade Rawlings and is likely to be dumped as part of a major list overhaul at the end of the season.
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