Richmond have signed Kaelan Bradtke to their rookie list ahead of the 2023 season, via the Supplemental Selection Period.
Bradtke, who has been training with the Tigers since December, becomes the latest SSP signing just one day before Wednesday's deadline.
The 21-year-old impressed at local level in 2022, kicking 39 goals from 17 outings for the Corowa-Rutherglen Kangaroos in the Ovens and Murray League. Additionally, Bradtke featured twice for Sydney's VFL side in 2022 playing against North Melbourne and Sandringham, averaging eight possessions.
Richmond National Recruiting Manager Matt Clarke said the 21-year-old has shown exciting potential, despite being overlooked at the AFL National and Rookie Drafts.
โHe is pretty raw, which is exciting- but already he has shown a strong desire to learn and improve, which gives us confidence he can flourish within our program,โ Clarke added.
โKaelan has played well in senior football- kicking goals against men as a main forward target in the Ovens and Murray.
โWe think he has the tools to develop into a player that will be hard to play on at the elite level, so we are delighted to be giving him this opportunity at Richmond.โ
While Bradtke has signed on for season 2023, former Cat Quinton Narkle will not receive a list spot after training with the Tigers throughout the SSP period.
โQuinton came back from the Christmas break in career-best condition and impressed us with his character and commitment to our program,โ Clarke said.
โUnfortunately we did not have two spots available, so we needed to make a very hard decision. He couldn't have done any more during his time training at the Club."
