How Richmond’s exodus could set up free agency raid when club begins rebound

Richmond is set to free up a mammoth $3 million of salary cap space if stars all leave in the off-season. JON RALPH unpacks what the Tigers could do with it and what it means.

Richmond would clear well over $3 million of cap space leading into next season – with more to come after Tom Lynch’s deal expires next year – as the club ponders a total list overhaul in coming weeks.

A magical era came to an end on Saturday, with Dustin Martin, Marlion Pickett and Dylan Grimes retiring and vice-captain Liam Baker almost certainly playing his last game for the club.

Premiership stars Shai Bolton and Daniel Rioli have both made clear they would like to move to rival sides, while Jack Graham has a four-year free agency offer from West Coast.

Richmond would hope to secure a first-round selection between 13-18 for Baker, possibly after the Eagles secure the Hawks’ first-round pick for Tom Barrass.

Gold Coast would offer two late first-rounders for Rioli but also has its own No.7 draft pick, which Richmond would ask for if they did agree to releasing the hard-charging defender from his contract.

Shai Bolton could be on the move. Picture: Michael Klein

Daniel Rioli is in Gold Coast’s sights. Picture: Michael Klein

Fremantle has picks nine and 10, so at a minimum Richmond would have three top 10 picks and five overall first-round selections.

But the club would also assemble a massive war chest for future trades and free agency acquisitions given the salary obligations it has in the next 18 months.

Bolton is due as much as $1.2 million next year, Baker would be paid as much as $800,000 on a new deal, and Rioli is also on a lucrative deal.

Martin’s expiring deal is worth $1.3 million and it was reported when Lynch signed a seven-year $6.5 million contract the last year of a back-ended deal was worth up to $1.5 million.

A magical era came to an end on Saturday, with Dustin Martin headlining the departing Tigers stars. Picture: Michael Klein

Richmond has salary obligations to Tim Taranto, Jacob Hopper, Nick Vlastuin, Jayden Short and is keen to sign a long-term deal with Noah Balta, who is out of contract next year.

But if Richmond does eventually accept that Bolton and Rioli can be traded the salary cap room it would create will be immense.

They could bank that room so when they are ready to bounce back up the ladder they could make targeted acquisitions in the same manner of Hawthorn, keen on Barrass, St Kilda’s Josh Battle and GWS defender Harry Perryman.

Melbourne, Geelong and Collingwood continue to chase a key forward, with the Herald Sun reporting last month the Demons and Cats were chasing West Coast’s Jake Waterman.

But if Richmond even considered a trade for Lynch, who turns 32 in October, the club’s forward line would be bereft in 2025.

Lynch has played only eight games in the past two years given injuries and with his salary cap obligations it would seem extremely unlikely a club in premiership mode could land him.

Richmond would be crazy to even consider a deal unless it was for an extremely high pick and clubs in contention would struggle to justify handing over a high pick for a player with his injury history.

But as the trade period progresses he is one of the few star forwards who clubs might believe they can drag out of a rival club in rebuild mode.

The Tigers had only two players kick more than 20 goals this year _ Bolton and Rhyan Mansell, with Mykelti Lefau kicking 14 goals but recovering from an ACL tear.

Coach Adem Yze said after Saturday’s loss to Gold Coast confirmed the club had the No.1 overall pick that the exit interviews this week would prove telling.

But he has previously stated the club will hold Rioli and Bolton to their contracts.

“The next few days are going to be really important,” he said.

“We’re not going to rush them into that decision other than the fact that they know they’ve got a contract in place and we love them as players.”

Originally published as How Richmond’s exodus could set up free agency raid when club begins rebound