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Player Watch #44 Sydney Stack

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Here’s the full story.


Shai Bolton is emerging as the most dynamic player in the game but what will the Tigers have to pay to keep him at Punt Road? And why is he so happy to sign a new deal? Jon Ralph

Richmond star Shai Bolton is prepared to sign a new contract in coming months that would see him sacrifice his future free agency rights and remain at Punt Road long-term.

But those talks might require the Tigers to hand over nearly a million dollars a season given his extraordinary potential and marketing power.

The brilliant 23-year-old is happy at Richmond and contracted through to the end of 2023 on a deal worth just over $600,000 a season.

Richmond has had early talks with his new manager Anthony Van Der Wielen after he moved across to his stable of former South Fremantle players including Tim Kelly, Marlion Pickett and recently retired Tiger Matt Parker.

Van Der Wielen confirmed to the Herald Sun he was open to a new deal for Bolton but his immediate focus was a strong finish to a season where Tigers can still play finals.

The expected timeline for that new deal will be through summer when both parties can get a more accurate gauge of his worth.

“We are very comfortable where things lie at Richmond at the moment. He’s contracted until the end of 2023, Van Der Wielen said.

“I’m in regular contact with Blair Hartley. When Richmond and Shai feel it’s appropriate we will begin negotiations.

“I’m not sure exactly when that will be but it’s not what we are focused on right at this moment.”

The WA product could write his own cheque if he decided to return home but has been well supported by the Tigers and believes his potential is being maximised under Damien Hardwick.

The Tigers will re-contract Pickett after excellent form this year, but have plenty on their plate in coming months including decisions on Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt and Shane Edwards.

Any future deal could see Bolton command seven figures given his extraordinary potential and marketing power.

The Tigers are also well into a chase for an experienced midfielder like one of GWS pair Jacob Hopper or Tim Taranto given they have their own first-round pick and the Roos’ second round selection at pick 19.

Richmond is also on track to re-contract talented utility Sydney Stack despite a year in which he has played only two AFL games, one of them as the unused sub.

Stack, who broke his cheekbone last month, has made significant gains in his professionalism and while he would have rival suitors the 22-year-old will be at Punt Road next year.

Richmond is also on track to re-contract talented utility Sydney Stack despite a year in which he has played only two AFL games.

Talks on Bolton’s deal will be picked up after those list and trade discussions but he is keen to be contracted again before next season starts – subject to a fair deal.

He would only be a free agent at the end of 2024 but a long-term deal would take him well past that date and deep into his 20s.

Senior Tigers advisor Neil Balme said Bolton was on the verge of becoming the “best player in the competition”.

Balme said should the 23-year-old find the consistency that is the mark of the truly great players he could be “hard to stop”.

“I say, to myself, if he actually played consistently, he’s nearly the best player in the comp,” Balme said on RSN.

“He does play reasonable consistently, but so much of it is that natural brilliance. Part of the challenge of being a greatplayer is doing it consistently and that’s still his test.

“Can you imagine if he did play at his absolute maximum all the time, he’d be hard to stop.”

Champion Data rates Bolton as the most impactful player in the AFL with 45 per cent of his disposals part of a scoring chain, streets ahead of Marcus Bontempelli.

He is the No. 1 ranked mid-forward for goals and score involvements.

In 2024 in what would be the first year of a new deal the Tigers will have Dustin Martin in the last year of his existing $1.3 million-a-season deal and Tom Lynch earning over $1 million as part of his back-ended deal.

But with Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt retired by then they could afford his salary in a year three players were on nearly seven figures or back-end the deal into later seasons.

The Tigers would be aware the longer they left his negotiations in the final season of his contract the more they might have to pay him.

Dustin Martin was keen to be re-contracted in 2016 but instead as talks dragged out he was eventually paid $1.3 million after signing on the verge of the finals in a year he won the Brownlow Medal, MVP, Norm Smith and Richmond best-and-fairest.

Bolton has kicked 35.34 this year as well as 13 complete misses but is a superb kick who will only improve his accuracy.

Richmond’s classy manner in which they handled Parker’s return home to WA — he and his partner have three children four years and under and he was not in senior selection contention — has only reinforced to Van Der Wielen that Bolton is in good hands.
 

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richoatthedisco said:
View attachment 1463958
From the Hun story on Shai likely to re-sign this off-season. EAD h8ers.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that RATD😊 Just hope we keep him contracted as he’s got so much ability. Not a fumbler and a great decision maker whos as tough as any player playing at present. Unabashed fan admittedly
 
Richmond is also on track to re-contract talented utility Sydney Stack despite a year in which he has played only two AFL games, one of them as the unused sub.

Stack, who broke his cheekbone last month, has made significant gains in his professionalism and while he would have rival suitors the 22-year-old will be at Punt Road next year.

Richmond is also on track to re-contract talented utility Sydney Stack despite a year in which he has played only two AFL games.
F55F418B-94EA-49D2-91BE-640A21511810.gif
 
Rowdydave said:
Here’s the full story.


Shai Bolton is emerging as the most dynamic player in the game but what will the Tigers have to pay to keep him at Punt Road? And why is he so happy to sign a new deal? Jon Ralph

Richmond star Shai Bolton is prepared to sign a new contract in coming months that would see him sacrifice his future free agency rights and remain at Punt Road long-term.

But those talks might require the Tigers to hand over nearly a million dollars a season given his extraordinary potential and marketing power.

The brilliant 23-year-old is happy at Richmond and contracted through to the end of 2023 on a deal worth just over $600,000 a season.

Richmond has had early talks with his new manager Anthony Van Der Wielen after he moved across to his stable of former South Fremantle players including Tim Kelly, Marlion Pickett and recently retired Tiger Matt Parker.

Van Der Wielen confirmed to the Herald Sun he was open to a new deal for Bolton but his immediate focus was a strong finish to a season where Tigers can still play finals.

The expected timeline for that new deal will be through summer when both parties can get a more accurate gauge of his worth.

“We are very comfortable where things lie at Richmond at the moment. He’s contracted until the end of 2023, Van Der Wielen said.

“I’m in regular contact with Blair Hartley. When Richmond and Shai feel it’s appropriate we will begin negotiations.

“I’m not sure exactly when that will be but it’s not what we are focused on right at this moment.”

The WA product could write his own cheque if he decided to return home but has been well supported by the Tigers and believes his potential is being maximised under Damien Hardwick.

The Tigers will re-contract Pickett after excellent form this year, but have plenty on their plate in coming months including decisions on Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt and Shane Edwards.

Any future deal could see Bolton command seven figures given his extraordinary potential and marketing power.

The Tigers are also well into a chase for an experienced midfielder like one of GWS pair Jacob Hopper or Tim Taranto given they have their own first-round pick and the Roos’ second round selection at pick 19.

Richmond is also on track to re-contract talented utility Sydney Stack despite a year in which he has played only two AFL games, one of them as the unused sub.

Stack, who broke his cheekbone last month, has made significant gains in his professionalism and while he would have rival suitors the 22-year-old will be at Punt Road next year.

Richmond is also on track to re-contract talented utility Sydney Stack despite a year in which he has played only two AFL games.

Talks on Bolton’s deal will be picked up after those list and trade discussions but he is keen to be contracted again before next season starts – subject to a fair deal.

He would only be a free agent at the end of 2024 but a long-term deal would take him well past that date and deep into his 20s.

Senior Tigers advisor Neil Balme said Bolton was on the verge of becoming the “best player in the competition”.

Balme said should the 23-year-old find the consistency that is the mark of the truly great players he could be “hard to stop”.

“I say, to myself, if he actually played consistently, he’s nearly the best player in the comp,” Balme said on RSN.

“He does play reasonable consistently, but so much of it is that natural brilliance. Part of the challenge of being a greatplayer is doing it consistently and that’s still his test.

“Can you imagine if he did play at his absolute maximum all the time, he’d be hard to stop.”

Champion Data rates Bolton as the most impactful player in the AFL with 45 per cent of his disposals part of a scoring chain, streets ahead of Marcus Bontempelli.

He is the No. 1 ranked mid-forward for goals and score involvements.

In 2024 in what would be the first year of a new deal the Tigers will have Dustin Martin in the last year of his existing $1.3 million-a-season deal and Tom Lynch earning over $1 million as part of his back-ended deal.

But with Trent Cotchin and Jack Riewoldt retired by then they could afford his salary in a year three players were on nearly seven figures or back-end the deal into later seasons.

The Tigers would be aware the longer they left his negotiations in the final season of his contract the more they might have to pay him.

Dustin Martin was keen to be re-contracted in 2016 but instead as talks dragged out he was eventually paid $1.3 million after signing on the verge of the finals in a year he won the Brownlow Medal, MVP, Norm Smith and Richmond best-and-fairest.

Bolton has kicked 35.34 this year as well as 13 complete misses but is a superb kick who will only improve his accuracy.

Richmond’s classy manner in which they handled Parker’s return home to WA — he and his partner have three children four years and under and he was not in senior selection contention — has only reinforced to Van Der Wielen that Bolton is in good hands.
Click to expand...
tony__montana
 
Grrr said:
How do you think he could possibly be unfit. He had been at the club for 9 months of training and playing. All this coming back unfit is just an easy way to blame Stack. That was a factor in October, not 9 months later, how would that be possible.

The only logical reason for the club giving up on Stack or visa versa, which seems to have happened, is a personality clash, or an attitude problem which may or may not be totally Stack's doing unless we are privy to what is going on at the club now, not 9 months ago.

Why would you play a kid in the forward position for an entire season without any real improvement, especially when you know he can play at half back extremely well. There must be a reason other than what 'the back line is full'. Stack is out at the end of the season, that much is pretty obvious, his way or our way, which probably means the club is going to do him no favours.
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To my eye on Sunday he looked unfit, heavy, showed no urgency, half chase efforts.
I was not referring to anything 9 months ago.
I don’t care what position he plays, he wasn’t going at 100%.
 
TiggerDK said:
To my eye on Sunday he looked unfit, heavy, showed no urgency, half chase efforts.
I was not referring to anything 9 months ago.
I don’t care what position he plays, he wasn’t going at 100%.
Click to expand...
Well he must be doing something right for the club to give him another year
 

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I would only, ever, re-sign Stack on a condition that he is on a "Zero Strikes" contract & that if certain behaviour, weight/skinfold & general club standards , practices & KPI's are not met or are breached, then your contract is terminated immediately, with no further monies owing. This will mean we can sack him and instantly free up his cap space. I would want that contract to be a heated discussion with the PA's saying its not legal. Then at least if he does come back from the off-season and he has blown out or ****ed up again, we can terminate his contract and promote a rookie, or later use his spot to select someone in the Mid-Season draft. Club needs to be that hard on him & ensure that we can at least get another bite of the cherry up until the mid-season draft if he lets us down (again).

If he is going to **** up again, it will more than likely happen before the season even starts
 
RJK Tiger said:
I would only, ever, re-sign Stack on a condition that he is on a "Zero Strikes" contract & that if certain behaviour, weight/skinfold & general club standards , practices & KPI's are not met or are breached, then your contract is terminated immediately, with no further monies owing. This will mean we can sack him and instantly free up his cap space. I would want that contract to be a heated discussion with the PA's saying its not legal. Then at least if he does come back from the off-season and he has blown out or *ed up again, we can terminate his contract and promote a rookie, or later use his spot to select someone in the Mid-Season draft. Club needs to be that hard on him & ensure that we can at least get another bite of the cherry up until the mid-season draft if he lets us down (again).

If he is going to * up again, it will more than likely happen before the season even starts
Click to expand...
I'd rather we play him, see what he does and then think contracts/delist
 

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Player Watch #44 Sydney Stack

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