If Prestia Can Still Play, What Was Richmond Really Ending?
Richmond’s farewell to Dion Prestia looked like the end of a champion’s AFL career. From Richmond’s point of view, it was certainly the end of his time in yellow and black.
Prestia never quite described it that way. He left the door open to playing in 2027, and that door is now more than theoretical.
Essendon is set to meet him and is exploring a playing-list spot. GWS has not ruled out a playing contract either. Both clubs also value the leadership and football intelligence Richmond has spent years telling us made Prestia so important around its young midfielders.
That does not mean Richmond made the wrong call. Different clubs can need different things from the same 33-year-old. But it changes the question.
If rival football departments still believe there may be useful AFL football left in Prestia, what exactly did Richmond believe it would gain by ending his playing time at Punt Road — and what now has to appear in 2027 to prove that trade-off was worth making?
This is not a nostalgia argument about keeping every premiership hero. It is a test of whether Richmond has transferred the minutes, responsibility and football knowledge Prestia leaves behind into something more valuable for the rebuild.
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