The value of selective recruiting during the AFL’s annual trade period has been highlighted through Richmond’s 2017 premiership success.

The triumphant Tigers team contained five players whose services were secured via trades with other league clubs, plus another that landed at Punt Road courtesy of the competition’s pre-season draft.

Key midfielder (and pinch-hitting second ruckman) Shaun Grigg, gun on-baller Dion Prestia, valuable forward Josh Caddy, No. 1 ruckman Toby Nankervis and late-season, forward revelation Jacob Townsend, were the premiership Tiger trade pick-ups, while talented, rebounding defender Bachar Houli was the pre-season draftee.

Grigg was traded by Carlton in exchange for young Richmond player Andrew Collins at the end of the 2010 season, Prestia was traded by Gold Coast for pick seven, plus a future second round selection, in the 2016 national draft, Caddy was traded by Geelong for pick 26, plus a swap of later picks, in last year’s national draft, Nankervis was traded by Sydney for pick 45 in last year’s national draft and Townsend was traded by Greater Western Sydney for a fourth round pick in the 2015 national draft. Houli was taken by the Tigers with pick three overall in the 2011 pre-season draft.

Those six players made it the most recruits from rival league clubs to appear in a Richmond premiership team throughout Tigerland’s AFL/VFL history.

Richmond’s 1973 premiership line-up had five players in it that were recruited from other clubs – Robert McGhie (Footscray), Stephen Rae (St Kilda), Paul Sproule (Essendon), Ian Stewart (St Kilda) and Wayne Walsh (South Melbourne, although he did start his league career at Richmond).

There also were five members of the Tigers’ all-conquering 1974 premiership side, who had plied their trade elsewhere in the competition, before wearing the famous Yellow and Black colours – McGhie, Sproule, Walsh, Gareth Andrews (Geelong) and David Thorpe (Footscray).

According to Tigerland’s respected, resident history researcher, Rhett Bartlett, the all-time Richmond record, with regards to the number of premiership players to come from other clubs in the competition, is eight, in the winning 1905 VFA Grand Final side – Harry Rigby (Carlton), Walter Sykes (Collingwood), Bert Lithgow (Carlton), Jack Megson (Essendon), William Carkeek (Essendon), Rhoda McDonald (Carlton), Arthur Cleghorn (Essendon) and Edward Leach (Melbourne).