Richmond senior coach Adem Yze is in line to sign an extension beyond 2026, club president John O'Rourke confirmed, but he conceded the Tigers are in "no rush" to have Yze locked in for 2027.
After a slow start with the club, Yze's tenure rapidly picked up momentum in 2025 as the Tigers stunningly recorded five wins on the season - unimpressive on the surface but widely viewed as an overachievement given their young and inexperienced playing list.
The year included a famous win over Gold Coast against ex-Richmond premiership coach Damien Hardwick, and three losses by single digits, highlighting that the club may not be as far away from a return to Finals contention as many pundits anticipated.
Speaking to Herald Sun's Lauren Wood, O'Rourke highlighted how Yze has laid the foundations for a successful rebuild for the Punt Road based outfit, seeing him as the long-term option for the side.
"He's contracted for next year, but we're very happy with Adem. We're going through the normal review process that we want to do every year, and that's been positively worked through," O'Rourke said.
"He is thriving on the feedback and putting things in place to make sure that he is our next premiership coach, and that's what we want from him."
However, the club's focus remains on a strong pre-season build into 2026, meaning Yze's looming extension isn't at the forefront - for now.
"I think you will hear more about an extension in time. We're not there yet but those conversations have started," O'Rourke said.
"Adem's in a good place, so I've got no doubt he's going to be a longer-term coach for Richmond, but we'll get to that in due course. There's no urgency."
