Richmond Recruiting Officer, Matthew Clarke, has given an interesting insight into the thorough planning and preparation that the Tigers put into their AFL National Draft selections.
It’s expected Richmond will use five picks (12, 33, 52, 70 and 88) in the 2014 draft, which will take place on November 27.
“There’s been a hell of a lot (of planning and preparation), not only just this year, and for this year’s group, but probably over two years – even three years – from the under 16s. We go back that far, and then project ahead to next year, as well,” Clarke said on the Club’s official podcast, “Talking Tigers”.
“We’re already planning for next year, and that’s why we look at the draft in terms of position type. Do we go to the draft and try and get some outside run? Let’s have a look at next year . . . There’s lots in next year’s draft, so we may go a little bit lighter this year.
“So, we don’t really want to reach too far, if we think there’s some good talent coming up later on.
“There’s a lot of work that goes in, for sure. We go to the end of November this year, probably have December and a bit of January off, and we start again.”
Clarke outlined the close working relationship that the Richmond recruiting team shares with the Club’s General Manager of Player Personnel and List Management, Blair Hartley.
“We work heavily with Blair in rating our players in this draft, against the players on other AFL clubs’ lists,” Clarke said.
“So, basically, when it comes to the trade period and free agency, Blair can come in and say, I’m thinking about trading, let’s say we’ve got pick 25 . . . what’s the rating of players, who you think are going to be there at 25. And we match that up.
“Blair might say, ‘Well, should we do the deal?’ ‘No, we think there’ll be five players rated higher than that guy you’re going to bring in’. ‘Okay, well, let’s not do the deal’.
“Or, we might go, ‘Well, it’s (the draft) really shallow . . . let’s do it for that position type’.
“Obviously, Blair watches a lot more AFL footy than we do, and he can give us some information on how the kids are going at AFL level that we’ve picked in previous years, but also, vice-versa.
“It’s critical that we have good communication.”
