Houli Richmond deal hits trouble Emma Quayle
October 11, 2010 DISGRUNTLED Essendon player Bachar Houli is unlikely to find a new home at Richmond in the final hours of the trade period today, with Richmond and Essendon at loggerheads over a deal for the midfielder.
While Richmond has offered up its third round selection (currently No.46) for Houli, the Bombers are insisting on a second round choice (currently No.29) for the fourth-year player, who walked out on the club last week to join the Tigers.
Essendon plans to use only three picks in the national draft, saving one for the pre-season draft, and has told the Tigers that their third round pick would be of no use to them.
The Bombers would prefer to let Houli walk - hopefully to the pre-season draft - arguing that if that happens, at least the Tigers will not enter the draft with a live selection ahead of them.
Essendon is fourth in the pre-season draft order behind Gold Coast, West Coast (which will probably not participate) and the Tigers, and will have more control over who they select if Richmond is committed to taking Houli.
Speculation the Bombers were interested in Sturt ruckman Jonathan Giles - who they could potentially have on-traded the Richmond pick to the Gold Coast for - was dismissed by the club last night.
Richmond's position is that it is offering its third live selection in the national draft for Houli, who played only a handful of games this year, with the Tigers planning to bank the Gold Coast compensation pick they received from Adelaide as part of the Richard Tambling deal early last week and use it in a future draft.
If the Bombers don't accept pick 46 - and use 47 as their final choice in the national draft - Richmond would still have a live pick one ahead of them in the national draft.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/houli-richmond-deal-hits-trouble-20101010-16e0v.html
