Richmond is closing in on a deal that will secure a trade from Carlton for clever playmaker Chris Yarran.
The Tigers’ General Manager of Football, Dan Richardson, confirmed the two clubs were making progress in their negotiations.
“I understand people probably wanting it to happen a bit sooner,” he said on ‘AFL Trade Radio’.
“We respect Carlton’s position . . . they feel Chris is worth a first-round pick.
“Obviously, in the initial stages, our first-round pick is either pick 12 this year, or you could look at future picks as well.
“We think he’s worth a pick around the 16-17 mark, perhaps even early 20s. But Carlton have asked for a first-rounder . . . We respect that and that’s what we’re working to do.
“And, we’re just pursuing other avenues to be able to be able to achieve that, other than giving up the picks that we currently hold.
“We think those options are getting closer and we’re really confident Chris will end up at the Tiges.”
Richmond, likewise, expects a deal for young Greater Western Sydney inside midfielder Jacob Townsend is not far away, with the Tigers preparing to hand over one of their later picks.
“I know people out there who would probably be asking who’s Jacob Townsend. I think he’s probably a player like Anthony Miles,” Richardson said.
“We’ve been watching GWS clearly quite closely over the last few years – not only their AFL team, but also their NEAFL team.
“Look, we’ve made no secrets that we think a big-bodied, strong, powerful midfielder, with a bit of aggression, is somebody that ticks a real need for us.
“Sometimes out there, supporters, for sure, would say we want a bigger name than Jacob Townsend. But we tend to recruit more on need than name.
“We think that Jacob will provide the sort of midfield grunt that we need a little bit more of – in particular, to support the likes of Cotchin and these guys around the footy.”
Richardson also clarified the situation with key defender David Astbury, who has attracted significant interest from Brisbane.
“Dave’s contracted with us next year and, as a key defender and a terrific person around the Club, we’re very reluctant to let him go,” Richardson said.
“But we’ll wait and hear what Dave’s situation is. If it’s an opportunity for him that’s too good for him to knock back and, equally, may assist us in other ways, then that’s potentially something we’ll look at.
“He hasn’t told us he wants to move on. He’s certainly been very transparent, to his credit, and so has his management – Alex McDonald – about the interest from Brisbane.
“Look, he was clearly frustrated this year that he didn’t quite get the opportunities that he had have hoped, having started last year really well, then obviously badly injuring his knee.
“At 24 years of age, he just wants to play regular senior footy now, and that’s fair.
“We still feel as though he could quite easily play plenty of senior footy for us, and perhaps was a bit stiff this year with some injury concerns and selection not going his way at times.
So, we’ll work our way through that.”
