Richmond had been active in the 2016 trade period, snaring star midfielder Dion Prestia from Gold Coast and robust, young ruckman Toby Nankervis from Sydney.

The Tigers, however, were not finished with striking trade deals.

On the final morning of that year’s trade period, they secured the services of Geelong’s strongly-built midfielder/forward Josh Caddy in exchange for pick 24 in the 2016 national draft and a swap of later picks.

Caddy had played 71 games and kicked 59 goals for the Cats in a four-year career from 2013-16.

Previous to that, he had been part of the fledgling Gold Coast Suns’ playing group. He played 24 games and scored 17 goals for Gold Coast in a two-year career from 2011-12.

After signing a four-year deal with Richmond, Caddy admitted the move to Tigerland had come about quickly.

“It’s a bit of a funny feeling, it's something I didn't see coming a couple of weeks ago,” Caddy said.

“I suppose that’s footy, isn’t it?

“I felt it was a good opportunity for me to further my career.

“I think Richmond have a lot of potential.

“I see their list – Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt, Alex Rance – they've got the major areas covered nicely.

“With a few tweaks they can really turn it around and this club can have success in the near future.

“I’ve really got belief in Damien Hardwick. I’ve heard he’s really well liked by the playing group and that’s really important.”

The Tigers were delighted to round out their 2016 trade period with the acquisition of Caddy.

“We love what Josh is going to bring to our team, he’s a big-bodied, aggressive midfielder that can run, win the contested footy, and also kick goals,” said the Club’s talent manager Dan Richardson.

“Josh has already shown his talent, but at 24 years of age, his best football is still in front of him, and that’s really exciting for us.

“Josh will really add to our midfield depth, and join players like Cotchin, Martin, Prestia, Grigg, Corey and Brandon Ellis, Miles, Conca and Vlastuin all running through the middle, which is a great asset for us entering season 2017.”

Caddy went on to provide Richmond with good service until his retirement midway through the 2022 season.

He played 79 games, kicked 88 goals and was a valuable member of the Tigers’ 2017 and 2019 premiership teams.

His best season at Tigerland from an individual perspective was in 2018 when he kicked 46 goals and made the All-Australian squad.