After a disappointing season for the reigning premiers, six Richmond young guns remain to be without a contract for next season.
Emerging Tigers Daniel Rioli, Mabior Chol, Sydney Stack, Callum Coleman-Jones, Patrick Naish and Ryan Garthwaite are among such list, with two-first and second-round draft picks endangering their future in the squad.
Despite reinventing himself in the backline, three-time premiership player Rioli is said to only receive a one-year extension deal at the Tigers, likely assessing his options past next season.
“He will stay, but potentially only on a one-year deal, according to his manager Ralph Carr,” John Ralph told AFL Tonight this week.
“(I) think the contract is probably not massive right now. If he can have a massive year, an All-Australian year, he clearly will be richly rewarded after that one.”
“He tells me he’s really happy, but he just wants to assess his options past 2022 but a one-year deal would be unusual for a three-time premiership player at only 24 years of age".
Despite playing his best season yet for Richmond, Chol also still finds himself without a contract for the 2022 season.
His 2021 campaign has ignited some interest from a number of rival clubs interstate, yet Ralph believes the 24-year-old is not interested in any opportunity outside of Melbourne.
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“(He) wants more (senior) opportunities. I’m not sure that the other Melbourne clubs are knocking down the door, he does want to stay in Melbourne,” Ralph added.
Stack on the other hand is set to wear the yellow and black for a few more years, despite only playing seven matches this year due to his ten-game suspension.
The Tigers may not have had the season they wanted but, Hardwick's focus on the younger players leaves an exciting prospect for 2022. #AFL https://t.co/rgN3R3gzSg
— Zero Hanger (@zerohanger) August 20, 2021
The Tigers recently announced new deals for trio Jason Castagna, Kamdyn McIntosh and Thomson Dow, while Coleman-Jones is likely to remain at Punt Road past this season.
