After seeing his key-position depths depleted in the off-season, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick is set to move the magnets in 2022 as he prepares to propel his side back into premiership contention.
The Tigers were made to bid farewell to emerging talls Callum Coleman-Jones and Mabior Chol to the Kangaroos and Suns respectively, opening up holes in Hardwick's attacking third.
While the triple premiership coach and his front office opted not to directly plug these voids in the exchange and draft windows, their decision to bolster their rearguard could now see one of the club's best defenders switch to the opposing end of the ground.
The acquisition of highly-rated defender Josh Gibcus through the draft is sure to buoy the backline at Punt Road for the years to come, while adding veteran Roo Robbie Tarrant in exchange for Coleman-Jones gave the Tigers a couple more seasons of seniority on their last line.
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The pair are both tipped to feature in Hardwick's defence this year, joining the likes of premiership contingent Dylan Grimes, Nick Vlastuin, Jayden Short, Nathan Broad and Noah Balta.
With an overflowing amount of key names calling the backline home, Hardwick has looked to move Balta's services to a more offensive-minded role in joining the forwards this pre-season.
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Balta began his career as a forward/ruck utility under Hardwick in 2019, plying his trade across the ground before slotting into a lockdown role in defence later into his tenure, where he quickly emerged as an accountable asset next to the likes of Grimes and Vlastuin.
The 22-year-old now looks set to rekindle his attacking mindset in 2022, with Hardwick stationing Balta as a forward target to fashion a tall three-piece tandem with Jack Riewoldt and Tom Lynch.
The aforementioned addition of Gibcus has allowed Hardwick the needed flexibility to work with wiggle room should his forward structure rely on reinforcements.
"Noah Balta is another young guy we have got big plans for," Hardwick told The Herald Sun.
"Our first draft pick Josh Gibcus is going very, very well, he‘s 196cm very athletic, incredible competitor and he is going to be a very good player for us long term.
"That allows us flexibility so with Noah, do we play him up forward? He has been training with the forwards he has been going very, very well.
"It’s exciting, he is a difference maker, he’s got X-factor, he’s incredibly athletic, can take a good mark and is a thumping kick as well. We’re trying to figure out how it all works, we’re not sure yet but we are working our way through it."
The departures of veteran pairing David Astbury and Bachar Houli were quickly accounted for by the Tigers, with Astbury's key-position role set to be handed to Tarrant and soon enough Gibcus.
As for Houli, the Tigers had already initiated a more proactive approach to find his successor, having moved crafty forward Daniel Rioli into defence in the back half of last season.
In his new role, the 24-year-old flourished, finding the Sherrin more than he ever has in his 114-game career, while offering pace, poise and pressure to the Tigers' half-back line.
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Rioli is set to continue in his development as a defender, with Hardwick revealing the Fremantle-born utility has continued to impress in his remodelling.
"We found Daniel Rioli at halfback as we had a fair understanding that it was going to be Bachar’s (Houli) last year so we needed another running dashing halfback and Daniel it was a good move," Hardwick added.
"He will only get better for the training over the off-season."
The Tigers' new-look spine is set to be on display as they continue their preparations for the 2022 season with a pair of pre-season fixtures starting later this month.
Richmond will travel to Kardinia Park to face Geelong on Saturday, February 26 before their AAMI Community Series match with Hawthorn early next month.
The Tigers will begin their premiership campaign on March 17 when they take part in their traditional Round 1 encounter with Carlton at the MCG.
