Richmond’s talented, mature-age, midfield recruit Josh Caddy has admitted his close friendship with fellow new Tiger gun on-baller Dion Prestia was a factor in him deciding to join the Club.
Caddy, 24, landed at Tigerland on the final day of the AFL’s 2016 trade period, when Geelong agreed to release him in exchange for picks 24 and 64 in this year’s national draft.
The opportunity to renew an on-field relationship with Prestia, following their time together as league football pioneers at Gold Coast, greatly appealed to Caddy.
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t,” Caddy told ‘Trade Radio’.
“We’ve been mates since junior footy, played in the Diamond Valley, rep teams, and at Vic Metro together, then got drafted together to Gold Coast back in 2010, and lived together up there for a couple of years. So we’re really good mates . . .
“He, a while ago, expressed a desire to go to Richmond and, at that stage it hadn’t even entered my mind.
“But, when things transpired, he sort of got wind of that.
“He was into me straight away and it definitely played a part.”
Caddy’s mateship with Prestia, however, wasn’t the only reason he was eager to make Tigerland his new football home.
“I think Richmond have a lot of potential,” he said.
“Obviously, they had a disappointing year (in 2016), but I see their list . . . Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt, Alex Rance . . . they’ve got all the major areas covered pretty nicely.
“I think that with a few tweaks, and a few other things, they can really turn it around, and this club can have success in the near future . . .
“I’m looking forward to getting there and really having a strong career there . . . hopefully helping the Club get back up the higher end of the ladder and being there for as long as I can be.”
