Richmond Tigers 2024: Tim Taranto on no regrets for moving clubs and hopes that premiership teammates stay at Punt Road

Despite the Tigers lowly ladder position, Tim Taranto has no regrets about his move from GWS to Punt Road, and is hopeful his star teammates stay for the rebuild.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIAÉ June 30 , 2024. AFL Round 16. Richmond vs Carlton at the MCG. Richmonds Tim Taranto and Dustin Martin during the 2nd qtr. . Pic: Michael Klein

Richmond midfielder Tim Taranto has urged the senior Tigers considering their futures to stick with the club and transform it into a competitive force again as fast as possible.

A handful of the club’s premiership players are assessing their futures at Punt Rd beyond this year, including out-of-contract stars Dustin Martin and Liam Baker as well as Daniel Rioli, who is contracted but has attracted interest from Gold Coast.

This masthead reported this week that Shai Bolton plans to stick with the Tigers, despite significant interest from rival clubs.

“Absolutely, I’d love them all to stay,” Taranto said.

Tim Taranto and Dustin Martin. Picture: Michael Klein

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any control over their decisions. But I will try my best to encourage them to stay at Richmond. It’s a tough process. I went through it a few years ago (when he left Greater Western Sydney for Richmond). I try to let them make their own decisions, but they are all very important players and hopefully we can keep them all.

“Time will tell, but I’ve got my fingers and toes crossed that they stay.”

Taranto joined Richmond at the end of 2022 on a long-term deal that runs through to the end of 2029. But despite the club’s struggles over the past few years, he told us this week he has no regrets about making the move.

“I made the right decision for me, there is no looking back,” Taranto said, reaffirming his commitment to helping the Tigers claw their way back again.

The Tigers fell to the bottom of the ladder on percentage after last week’s loss to Fremantle – putting them in the box seat for this year’s No. 1 draft selection. But being the competitive beast that he is on the field, Taranto said he would be doing everything in his power to get off the bottom and to add to their two wins in the coming weeks.

Tim Taranto has no regrets about his move from GWS to Richmond at the end of 2022. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

“We’ve got a lot of youth and we know they are going to get better,” he said.

“We have to try and lead the way on that. We need to keep chasing those wins.”

Taranto, 26, said it had been a privilege to play alongside Martin, one of the great footballers of the modern era. But he is unsure what the 33-year-old triple Norm Smith Medal-winner intends to do when his famous contract runs out at the end of this season.

“I have no idea what Dusty is going to do,” he said. “I don’t even know if he knows what he is going to do yet.”

“He will stay in the moment and enjoy it, and then make the decision when he has to.”

The Tigers will take on Taranto’s former side Greater Western Sydney on Sunday at the MCG, with the club dedicating its home fixture to the Alannah and Madeline Foundation, helping to support children to recover and heal from trauma.