For Jackson, it means mature-age talent coming in to bolster the playing stocks at Tigerland, without the Club having to part with any precious picks in the National Draft.
The Tigers swooped in the first week of the inaugural free agency period, securing the services of experienced league pair Chris Knights (Adelaide) and Troy Chaplin (Port Adelaide), and have all their picks intact for this year’s National Draft, which will be held on the Gold Coast on November 22.
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“They (free agency recruits) are like our last or second-last picks in the Draft. They’re going to come in and be ready to go and impact straight away . . .,” Jackson said on this week’s “Talking Tigers” trade period special.
“It’s been terrific and full credit to Blair (Hartley). His preparation in that regard, from viewing the players that we’ve targeted, and then being really well-prepared for free agency, has been a terrific boon for us.
“To tie up two players very early on in the piece meant we knew exactly where we stood and what was going on.
“He’s done a fabulous job in getting two quality players on our list, which will give us more depth and give us that bit more experience and versatility.”
