There’s fears for Richmond’s direction and its void of experience going into a crunch year for coach Adem Yze.
The Tigers have added Kieren Briggs and Nathan O’Driscoll this trade period but remain committed to a youth movement and seeing through a rebuild.
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Richmond is in the mix to trade for Port Adelaide’s Pick 5 as the Tigers look to continue stockpiling high-end talent through the draft,
However, Yze’s side is set to have just six players with 100-plus games experience in 2026 — Jayden Short, who’s been linked with a move to Collingwood, Nick Vlastuin, Noah Balta, Tom Lynch and Jack Ross.
It follows the departures of Dion Prestia and Nathan Broad in addition to Short’s uncertain future at the club, with all three finishing in the top of the club’s best and fairest this year.
Coming off a three-win season that was marred by injury, there’s concerns for the long road ahead as Yze, contracted until 2028, prepares to enter his fourth season as coach.
“I am worried about how young this footy club is actually going, I really am,” Herald Sun reporter Glenn McFarlane said on Fox Footy’s Trading Day.
“And Adem Yze is going into a really important year next year, it’s a real concern.”
While every club would ideally have its best 23 available every week, St Kilda legend Leigh Montagna noted Richmond mightn’t get that luxury.
“This is absolutely a long game and it’s gong to be a painful, long game,” Montagna said on the program.
“You could make a case Nankervis might not play with Briggs coming in as a ruck, Tom Lynch has injury history and Jayden Short mightn’t be at the club.
“They could be going into games all season with three players that have got over 100 games experience. Which is going to make it awfully hard and hard for the young players to develop at the rate they need to when you don’t have a senior core around them.
“They’re playing the long game, they’ve committed to it. They might as well contourite to go all with it, because that’s the only way out.”
The Tigers have publicly guaranteed Yze will coach to 100 games, which would ensure he gets through the 2027 season, having coached 70 AFL games with just 11 wins.
But a slow start to next season and Yze is set to be among the coaches most under pressure.
“They must have buy in from the club and the board at all levels. Adem Yze must think there’s buy in and he’s sticking to that contract,” Fox Footy reporter David Zita said.
“We know how much the pressure will come if they go winless in the first half of the season again.”
Montgana responded: “It’s not great for Adem Yze, but the club is playing the long game. The club is bigger than the coach.
“Unfortunately, for Adem Yze, it’s not helping his opportunities as a senior coach. But they’ve decided to play the long game and they’re going to commit to it.”