‘Richmond will always hold a special place in my heart’: Brett Deledio’s farewell message to Tiger fans

FOUR days after being traded to the GWS Giants Brett Deledio has posted a heartfelt message on social media to the fans who cheered him for 12 seasons.

Brett Deledio has been traded to the Giants. Picture: Michael Klein

FOUR days after being traded to the GWS Giants Brett Deledio has posted a heartfelt message on social media to the fans who cheered him for 12 seasons.

Deledio played 243 games for Richmond and won two best-and-fairest awards since being selected with the No. 1 draft pick in 2004.

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After requesting a fresh start at Geelong and then GWS, he was traded in the final minutes before last Thursday’s trade deadline.

He hasn’t spoken since then, but on Monday morning Deledio posted a photo of himself on his Instagram account in his early days at Richmond — complete with blond tips — with a lengthy farewell message.

Deledio says he still has many close friends at Tigerland and thanks the club for developing him as a player and a person.

And he reserves special mention for long-suffering Richmond supporters.

“To the Tiger faithful, thank you for sticking with me and the club through thick and thin,” Deledio says.

“We have had some ups and downs but there you were, every weekend, cheering on the boys with that famous Tiger roar that always sent chills down my spine whenever we were making a charge at the MCG.

“While I have decided to make a fresh start, Richmond will always hold a special place in my heart and I will always be forever grateful of the influence the club has had on me.”

Deledio says he has “always relished a challenge” and the move to the Giants provides “a chance to learn some new things about our great game from a different perspective.”

He signs off: “Thanks again, Lids.”