The recent recruitment of star midfield pair Tim Taranto and Jacob Hopper by Richmond was a big boon for the Club.
What capped off a highly successful trade period, from a Tigers’ perspective, was the fact that none of their players were involved in the Taranto and Hopper trade deals with Greater Western Sydney.
At one stage, 2019 premiership ruckman Ivan Soldo appeared to be a chance to depart Tigerland and join the Giants as part of the Hopper deal.
Soldo met with GWS officials in Sydney and did a medical at the club.
In the end, however, the Tigers were able to secure Hopper’s services, and retain those of Soldo, much to their delight.
“We’re happy to keep Ivan . . . he’s a ripper,” Richmond’s general manager of football talent Blair Hartley said on this week’s special post-trade episode of the Club’s podcast, Talking Tigers.
“He was well within his rights to have a look. That’s all part of the process now.
“There’s talk of a five-man interchange (next season) and playing two rucks . . . we’ve toyed with that in the past.
“Ivan got a pretty hefty offer from the Western Bulldogs at the end of last year and we spoke to him about that and, in a roundabout way, convinced him to stay.
“Things didn’t always go to plan (this year). He’s coming off an ACL, which is hard, especially as a big guy.
“So, we’re really excited about what he’s going to bring next year.
“He’s just got a lot more to learn. You look at the best ruckmen and when they hit their prime and it’s right at this age now. He’s hit 26 . . .
“The big boys take time.”
Soldo, who made his AFL debut with Richmond in 2017, has played 49 senior games, including the 2019 Grand Final triumph over GWS, and kicked 16 goals.
