As the September winds begin to bite and the shadows grow long at Punt Road, the lights have already dimmed on another Richmond campaign. No stirring finals charge, no famous upset under lights at the ‘G. Just the hum of list management meetings, exit interviews, and a playing group slowly scattering — some for Mad Monday, some for contract talks, and others... perhaps for the last time.
I watch the footage again. Not of our last game, but of the golden era — Cotch brushing past danger like it’s just mist, Jack wheeling around from 50, Dusty... being Dusty. That time feels both impossibly recent and heartbreakingly distant. But the wheel never stops turning. The Tigers are in transition — not a rebuild, not a reload — but something greyer, murkier. Something less defined.
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🧳 Who Could Be Leaving the Den?
We have six Tigers without contracts, and in their stories lie the uncertainty of this in-between phase we’re now in.
Campbell Gray: A midseason punt who looked the part as a swingman before a cruel knee injury closed his campaign. There’s something about him — a rawness, yes, but also composure. With both Koschitzke and Blight delisted, surely we keep a flexible tall with upside? Or will he be another story of 'what could've been'?
Kaleb Smith: Eight games, flashes of run, but not enough to hold a spot. A distributing backman in a system craving stability — the modern game is unkind to those stuck between roles. He’s on the cusp... but does the axe fall?
Ollie Hayes-Brown: The forgotten man. An ex-basketballer still learning the game, but internally rated. There were whispers of a debut late in the season. Could we see the club play the long game with a Category B project?
Then the trio of:
Thomson Dow: Perhaps the most unlucky Tiger of 2025. A breakout year cut short by a kneecap injury, just as he looked at home in the midfield. There's craft and clean hands, and Richmond fans are suckers for a comeback narrative.
Tylar Young: A rare find — mature-age key defenders don’t grow on trees. He’s raw but brave, and whispers of interest from West Coast, North and the Dogs make this tricky. Do we fight to keep him? Or cash in and invest in someone else’s surplus?
Tyler Sonsie: The wildcard. There’s undeniable talent, even if the contested side of his game still wavers. He grew as the season went on — and in a forward-mid role, he might just find his place. But does he wait too long, and watch the club move on without him?
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🌟 Could a New Star Emerge?
Enter Malcolm Rosas Jnr — electric, elusive, enigmatic.
A livewire from the Gold Coast whose time looks up north of the border. He’s not signed beyond 2025, and the vultures — including us — are circling. Reports suggest it’s a two-horse race: Richmond vs Sydney. A choice between bright lights and tradition... or the soul of Tigerland.
We’ve lacked consistent small forward pressure. Maurice Rioli Jnr couldn’t cement a spot. Steely Green flickered but didn’t catch. And Jasper Alger, still green, is more potential than product.
Imagine Rosas roving at the feet of Lynch, or breaking lines off half-forward with Taj Hotton wheeling past. We haven’t had that spark since Castagna at his peak. It might not be the biggest move of the off-season — but it could be the smartest.
The club may also scour the delisted free agent list. We’ve done it before — think Bachar, Lambert, even Pickett. Expect a few speculative swings at fringe talent. Not for the headlines, but for the build.
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🚪 Who’s Already Walked Through the Door?
Kamdyn McIntosh – The premiership wingman. So much heart. His dash, his toughness. The man with 100-metre lungs. Delisted, but never forgotten.
Jacob Bauer, Mate Colina, Jacob Blight, Jacob Koschitzke – Depth players, each in different stages of the dream. Koschitzke came with promise from Hawthorn, but it never clicked. Sometimes the yellow and black just doesn’t stick.
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📦 What Are We Playing With?
Two picks inside the top three.
Let that sink in.
Pick 2. Pick 3.
This is rare air. The club is hinting at youth, but playing coy. Could we package one to move down and gain more assets? Could we keep both and land two future stars?
The 2025 draft is reportedly deep — especially in midfielders and dynamic half-forwards. We’ve lacked polish and speed. Do we find another Shai Bolton? Another Trent Cotchin?
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⚖️ The Verdict
This off-season is not one of sweeping declarations or dramatic changes. It’s quieter than that — a sharpening of edges, a slow turning of the list management wheel. The scars of a golden era are still visible, but so too are the green shoots: Tarranto, Hopper, Prestia, Lynch, Nank, Balta. These are not the bones of a team starting over — they’re a team waiting to rise again.
But the questions remain.
Which players get the chance to wear the sash again?
Who will become the next Tiger tragic story — or the next redemption arc?
Can we walk the line between honouring our past and shaping our future?
The answers will come — not today, and not in full. But as the leaves fall at Punt Road and the club quietly goes about its business, one truth remains:
You don’t stay down for long at Richmond.
Not when you’ve lived what we’ve lived.
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🟡⚫ Go Tigers. Forever.