Here's the chat text....Comment From Jono
Hi Craig, There has been media speculation about our interest in trengrove, irrespective of whether thats true or false, if we were to land him he is only a backup ruckman and is NOT the answer to our rucking issues. Do you agree with this?
At this time of year, there will be a lot of speculation surrounding a number of players that are out of contract. And the media will make their own calls on which clubs they'd like to attach those names to. My advice is to treat this media speculation with a grain of salt. Comment From Tiger Tony
Craig, is the team at where you thought it would be at this stage of the season?
Last week not withstanding, we are ahead of this time last year both in terms of games won and our percentage. We've played 3 first year players and added 2 senior players in Grigg and Houli, so our side is much better positioned going forward. However we still aim to win as many games as we can for the rest of the year. We've also managed to put 500 games into our group of players aged 22 and under in the last 2 seasons, and this will hold us in good stead for the future. Comment From Elliot
Are Richmond considering working with GWS for access to their tradable U17 players?
We will be looking at every opportunity to improve the list, including the tradable u17 players. The final list of 8 hasn't been published as yet, but once we're aware of the players we will asses them and speak to GWS. Comment From Guest
Hi Craig, did your chat with Troy Taylor in Darwin provide any indication as to whether he will return to the club?
Troy has a number of issues that he needs to work through, many of them are personal and it is important that he sorts these before he can even consider continuing his AFL career. We will as a club support him as much as we can, because our primary interest is Troy's long-term welfare. Comment From Angelo
Hello Craig can you tell me know of the draftees we have selected over the last 2 years you think have or will make the grade at AFL level. Webberly, Dea, Nason, Heelbig, Conca, batchelor.
I think Helbig, Conca and Batchelor have shown signs this season that they will be long-term AFL players and the second half of the year is important Webberley and Nason to re-establish themselves into the side as they were in 2010. Matt Dea is currently in rehab following a long-term stress related injury, and he will be given time to show his potential. Comment From Jane
Is a ruckman on the shopping list for next year?
There are a number of areas that we need to bolster in the off-season, experienced ruck being one of those, and we will be looking to improve our list through the trade and draft period. It's been a shame that Tom Derickx has had a number of injuries and finally a broken ankle to end his season, as we have expectation that he will make the grade. Comment From Sam
Hi Craig, Earlier this year it was announced that contract talks with Deledio had started. Since then we've heard nothing. Can you tell us about how close he is to resigning?
We don't discuss contract negotiations in a public forum, but there are no reasons for anyone to be concerned. Comment From Adam
Craig, can you make comment about the logo change
We've been getting a lot of questions about a proposed logo change, but that is something that is handled by other areas of the football club and thus can't provide an answer. Comment From Mark
Hi Craig, Will Kelvin Moore play again this year?
Kel will not play the rest of the year, as he is in rehab from a hip operation. But the long term prognosis is much more positive for Kel to return to the field next year. Comment From Luke
How long do you think team redevelopment will last for?
In the last two years, we have transformed not only the playing list but also the whole football department and we always considered this a two year process. We will be ambitious in our aims from here on. Comment From Paul
Hi Craig, what is your view on the strength of this years draft pool and what are our plans for the compensation pick that we received from Adelaide in exchange for Tambling?
The national u18 championships finishes this week, and the talent pool looks a little thinner than other years. In many ways due to GWS having the ability to take the cream of the u17 players last year. There are still a number of talent players that will be available in the first couple of rounds but we will have to be more lateral in our thoughts on later picks. In relation to the compensation pick received in the trade for Richard Tambling, the club will make an assesment on its possible use next year after the u16 championships when we will have a full appreciation of next years talent pool. Comment From Roycey Baby
Craig, how active will we be in the trade period this year and what will our recruiting priorities be?
As per last year, Blair Hartley is extremely well prepared for the upcoming trade period and is writing a trade and free agency strategy for the club that will encompass the next three years. We will be active, and very targetted in the trade this year. We are mindful that free agency starts in 2012 and that must be part of our long term planning. Comment From Luke
What do you think the Tigers can do to improve their defense line?
We think we have a number of young tall defenders that will develop into good AFL footballers. Injuries to Grimes, Astbury, and Moore (even though he is older) has exposed our depth in this area. We will be on the look out to bolster our defence but we must ensure that we allow our younger tall backs to develop. Comment From KiwiTiger
Hi Craig. I don't really have my ahead around free agency and what it means from a Richmond perspective. What are the key risks from free agency and what are we doing as a club to mitigate them?
Free Agency comes into the AFL in 2012. A simple guide to how it works is as follows; if a player has been on a clubs list for 8 years and is out of contract, they become eligible for free agency. However if this player is in the top 25% of the clubs salaries, he is what is termed a 'restricted free agent'. What this means is he can accept contract offers from other clubs, and choose one that he would want his existing club to match.
If his existing club matches the offer, the player must remain. If a player has been on a clubs list for 10 years or more and is out of contract, he may move to the club of his choosing. Any player delisted after 2012 automatically becomes a free agent. Our football club in building the new facility of the ME Bank Centre, planned oval redevelopment and continued improvement to the football department belives we are mitigating the effects of free agency by providing a better environment for our players. We will also be looking to pre-pay contracts so that we have room in our salary cap to manage our list of talented young players. Comment From Pete
Craig there have been quotes from the Coach and the Captain this week about moving on from saturday . We all understand this but I really hope that the whole group is not just gutted but embarassed by that performance. I don't think I have been that disappointed in a match for a long time . What is the reaction of the players this week because all the suporters will expect nothing less that a red hot go against the bombers ? We expect a fired up team
Everyone at the club was dissappointed with our performance last week. And the players have addressed the issues during our review this week. It is important that the players take a positive mindset into our game against Essendon and we have spent a lot of time preparing for this week's game. We can rant and rave all we like, but at the end of the day that makes us feel better for a little while, getting the result on the weekend is what's important. Comment From adrian
is there any chance you will upgrade a rookie towards years end (jakobi)? i feel you should have a look at him soon to see what he brings too the team
We have two spots available, because of long term injury listed players. And all our remaining rookie list players have the opportunity to get a senior game if their form warrants it. We have been really pleased with Ben Jakobi's form since his return from injury, Pat Contin returns from injury this week and he will do everything he can to play a senior game this year. Comment From Tigerhalsey
Is trading our first round draft pick an option this year? Last trade period it was said we wouldnt trade any first round picks
We don't have a hard and fast rule on whether we do or we don't trade our first round selection, it is not a logical way to do business to set policies that could potentially hamstring a smart list decision. Having said that, we are a club that believes in going to the draft to find the best talent and then providing an environment to develop it. If we consider that we can find a player in the right age bracket, and for a specific need that will help us then we will consider trading regardless of the draft selection. Comment From magic17
One of the aims of the FTF is to eventually have our own reserves side. Is this something that may happen in the next 1 - 2 years?
AFL Victoria has asked for submissions from all stakeholders, AFL clubs, VFL clubs, TAC clubs and other interested parties for the proposed composition of the VFL for the years 2012-2014. It appears that AFL Victoria are looking for a transition period while a new future for the second tier competition in Victoria is mapped out. The RFC will be providing a submission on our view of the future of the VFL, I can assure you that the number one priority for us is the development of our players into senior AFL. Comment From James
What is the process to becoming the General Manager Football at an established AFL club?
There is no one set pathway to becoming a GM of Football at an AFL club. I came thorugh a recruiting and list management at both Fremantle and Melbourne, other GM's have come through coaching paths such as Chris Bond at Fremantle, Neil Balme at Geelong. It's a relatively new position brought about by the increasing size of football departments. When I first started in football full-time in 1997, the Melbourne Football Club's football department had 9 people. We now have close to 30 full time staff at Richmond, and over 40 part-time staff and volunteers. Hence the need for a mangerial role to bring all of this together at a football department. Comment From Adam
We saw on the website this week that our Irish recruit is coming back to spend some more time with us, what is the situation with the players from PNG?
The international Cup will be played in August, John Heslin our new Irish recruit will play for Ireland in that series. We will host the PNG side for some training sessions at the ME Bank Centre, and our 2 PNG scholarship holders will be part of that squad. Comment From Sam
Can you tell us anything about Tuck? He seems to be dominating in the VFL, yet he just can't get a game. Is something going on?
Shane Tuck's form in the VFL has been very good. He is still working on a number of areas that Damien has asked him to work on, but I am confident he will play seniors sooner rather than later. He is very determined and upbeat and has conducted himself in a professional manner. Shane is aware of what he needs to do to get a game, and is working dilligently on these areas. Comment From Samantha8
Has Dustin Martin been signed long term?
Dustin is signed until the end of 2013. Comment From Jaye
How far is Dylan grimes away from a return to our backline?
Dylan is unlikely to play this season, we are taking a very conservative approach with him given the severity of his hamstring injury and his importance to the long-term structure of our backline. He is in full rehab at the moment, the main thing we need to do with Dylan is ensure that he doesn't overdo his rehab, because he is such a dilligent preparer. Comment From Burt
Will we be looking to recruit some more experienced, bigger-bodied players from the VFL, SANFL and WAFL at the end of the year?
Given the relative shallowness of this years draft pool, our recruiters have spent a lot of time looking at various state leagues, including the ones you have mentioned, to find potential mature aged players. If there are any there they considder of AFL quality, I'm sure we will draft some. Comment From Dean
Hi Craig, what are your thoughts about using the rookie list less for recycled players and more for untried youngsters or state league players?
There are 8 spaces available on a rookie list, and our decision this year was to use 2 of those for more mature recycled players to provide depth to our primary list. However the other spots are filled by young untried youngsters, or state league players. We will continue to make decisions on our rookie list that we think best suits the stage of development for our overall list. Comment From Colin
Craig, from a football department perspective, just how important is the Fighting Tiger Fund for future prosperity?
The FTF is paramount in helping us build a competitive list (through the ability to pay 100% of TPP), providing a proper structure in the football department in areas such as recruiting, development, list management, sports science and elite coaching. We are behind 14 clubs in terms of expenditure in the football department (not including player payments) we must address this imbalance if we are to have sustained long term success. As an example, Collingwood spent $3.3m more than us on its football department alone (not including player payments) in 2010. This is a significant gap that we must bridge.Thanks for joining us today everyone, Craig has wrapped it up and check back on the site at 5 oclock for all the team news.
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