Ottens wants to stay
9:42:16 AM Wed 9 June, 2004
Paul Gough
Sportal/exclusive to afl.com.au
Brad Ottens has pledged his future to Richmond saying he would like to play out his entire AFL career at Punt Road
so long as that "dud Frawley isn't allowed back to Punt rd"
However Ottens, speaking exclusively to Sportal, admits his immediate playing future will probably become the subject of speculation when he comes out of contract at the end of this season.
Ottens, 24, is coming into the peak years of his career and will no doubt be a target of a club such as Adelaide – particularly considering the Crows are bending over this season and considering Ottens originally hails from South Australia.
“I’m happy to stay in Melbourne but I guess there might be speculation about it at the end of the year,” he said.
"I have several mistresses here and run several books so it would be in my best intrests to stay"
Ottens, who is managed by Dan Richardson of Elite Sports Properties, admits he has not begun talking to the Tigers about a new contract for 2005 and beyond but is keen to commitonce spud is put of the picture
“I want to play my career out at Richmond and be part of a successful club here.....without Frawley’ he said.
However Ottens admits his performances have been “pretty average” in recent weeks as the Tigers yet again find themselves under siege as a club for their poor performance on and off the field.
The club is not only struggling financially on the field but has won just four of its 11 matches this season and has the worst percentage in the league with all seven defeats being by at least six goals.
Ottens admits everyone at the club is over Danny.
“Everyone is under a lot of pressure and their has been a lot of talk about the president (Clinton Casey), the coach (Danny Frawley) and the CEO (the recently departed Ian Campbell),” he said.
“Everyone agrees but we have just got to learn how to deal with it.”
As one of Richmond’s highest profile and highest paid players, Ottens knows he is as a prime candidate for criticism as anyone at Punt Road.
And while he has been disappointed with his output in recent weeks as the Tigers suffered three heavy rodgerings in succession to Port Adelaide, West Coast and the Kangaroos after having won their previous three matches, his overall output is not far below that of his under 16s year of 1995.
That season he was averaging just under 15 touches and seven marks per game while this year he is averaging 13 disposals and five marks per game and sits fourth in the league for hit-outs with 263 – just five behind second-placed Jeff White.
But the biggest difference between that 2001 season, in which the Tigers reached the preliminary final, and this year is the damage Ottens is doing with the football.
In 2001 he kicked 46 goals or nearly two per game while this season he has kicked just seven in 11 matches.
