Ray stays
- Thread starter Don Logan
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Fair dinkum? Where did you hear the news?
Hall remains a Tiger
11:14:19 AM Wed 19 November, 2003
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
Richmond has managed to convince Ray Hall to stay at Punt Road with the big ruckman agreeing on Wednesday to a new contract to remain a Tiger.
Hall has been at loggerheads with the Tigers since he was used as “trade bait” during the October trading period.
The 23-year-old wanted to return to his native New South Wales to play with the Sydney Swans but almost ended up at Geelong during the trading period.
And after Hall refused to join in any of Richmond’s pre-season training sessions to date, there was speculation he would nominate for the December 16 pre-season draft.
However there was little chance of Hall getting to the Swans in that draft as up to 13 clubs will have a selection on December 16 before Sydney, including Geelong – which was disappointed in not securing Hall during the trading period.
But Hall will now be definitely staying at Richmond after the club announced he would resume training on Wednesday after agreeing to a new contract.
Richmond's Director of Football Greg Miller said the club was delighted Hall had decided to remain a Tiger.
"It's certainly been a difficult time for Ray,” Miller conceded.
“The club put his name up for exchange during the trade week and we understand he subsequently received more lucrative offers from other clubs to leave us.”
"Ray, however, thoroughly examined the Richmond Football Club and he believes this is where he has the best chance of enhancing his league football career.”
“He feels the club is on the right track and he wants to be part of a successful Richmond side."
Whilst the Tigers did not reveal the length of Hall’s new contract, the club had previously only offered him a one year deal.
Hall, who is originally from Woy Woy on the New South Wales’ central coast, has played 47 games for the Tigers since debuting in 1999.
Capable of playing either in attack or defence or as a back-up ruckman, Hall endured an injury-marred 2003 season playing just nine games.
11:14:19 AM Wed 19 November, 2003
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
Richmond has managed to convince Ray Hall to stay at Punt Road with the big ruckman agreeing on Wednesday to a new contract to remain a Tiger.
Hall has been at loggerheads with the Tigers since he was used as “trade bait” during the October trading period.
The 23-year-old wanted to return to his native New South Wales to play with the Sydney Swans but almost ended up at Geelong during the trading period.
And after Hall refused to join in any of Richmond’s pre-season training sessions to date, there was speculation he would nominate for the December 16 pre-season draft.
However there was little chance of Hall getting to the Swans in that draft as up to 13 clubs will have a selection on December 16 before Sydney, including Geelong – which was disappointed in not securing Hall during the trading period.
But Hall will now be definitely staying at Richmond after the club announced he would resume training on Wednesday after agreeing to a new contract.
Richmond's Director of Football Greg Miller said the club was delighted Hall had decided to remain a Tiger.
"It's certainly been a difficult time for Ray,” Miller conceded.
“The club put his name up for exchange during the trade week and we understand he subsequently received more lucrative offers from other clubs to leave us.”
"Ray, however, thoroughly examined the Richmond Football Club and he believes this is where he has the best chance of enhancing his league football career.”
“He feels the club is on the right track and he wants to be part of a successful Richmond side."
Whilst the Tigers did not reveal the length of Hall’s new contract, the club had previously only offered him a one year deal.
Hall, who is originally from Woy Woy on the New South Wales’ central coast, has played 47 games for the Tigers since debuting in 1999.
Capable of playing either in attack or defence or as a back-up ruckman, Hall endured an injury-marred 2003 season playing just nine games.
Good that means we don't need to get Copeland now do we????
Apparently 1 year froars going by the RFC site.
Hall remains a Tiger
Tiger big man Ray Hall has abandoned plans to nominate for the pre-season draft and will remain at Punt Road for another 12 months. "He believes this is where he has the best chance of enhancing his league football career," said Richmond football director Greg Miller. Hall was put up for trade by the club last month and attracted interest from Geelong and Sydney. [FULL STORY]
11:14:19 AM Wed 19 November, 2003
Paul Gough
You were saying Froars
Hall signs a two-year deal
5:38:23 PM Wed 19 November, 2003
Paul Gough
afl.com.au
Ray Hall has put a three week stand-off from his club behind him, and accepted a two-year deal from Richmond.
The Tigers intended to off-load the young tall during the October trading period, but did not complete a suitable deal with another club. Facing losing Hall without receiving any compensation, if he nominated for the pre-season draft, Richmond put forward a one-year deal earlier this week and extended its offer on Tuesday.
Before Wednesday, Hall had not attended a training session at Punt Road for three weeks, and was eager to strike a deal with Sydney, which would have seen him return to his home state.
But neither Hall nor the Swans, whose coach Paul Roos is understood to have wooed the emerging key position player before the October trading period, could guarantee his passage to the club had he nominated for the 16 December draft.
A number of clubs have selections before Sydney, and it’s understood 23-year-old Hall was only prepared to change clubs for the purpose of returning to New South Wales.
Hall, 23, said he had no hard feelings towards Richmond, despite being unsure about his future during an assessment period of his university commerce degree.
“In the end it didn’t come down to Sydney’s pick in the draft. It came down to deciding that I wanted to play with Richmond.”
“I don’t really see what I should be forgiving or forgetting. There’s no real issue there now. We’ve worked through it all and I understand what their point of view was and now that we’ve worked everything out I’m happy to stay at Richmond and look forward to a positive year next year,” Hall said on Wednesday.
“I guess we had some issues to work through, but in the end I had a really good look at where Richmond was going as a club and now I have the confidence that we’re really going to go places and I want to be a part of that.”
Hall’s manager, Alex McDonald of Flying Start, said his client was affronted by the Tigers’ initial decision to use him as trade bait and that a genuine stand-off had resulted between player and club.
“It was, definitely (a stand-off). I guess players do become disillusioned when their names are thrown out there. He had his heart set on Richmond,” McDonald said.
“He was aggressively traded around at trade week, at from his point of view I guess you feel like there’s no love in the relationship anymore and that it died,” McDonald told afl.com.au.
“There were some philosophical issues that Ray had in terms of what it meant to be shopped around. He wondered is it a bit of band-aid, are they crawling back, sort of thing.”
Complicating matters was the fact that Hall, along with two other Richmond players, is opening a juice business with Richmond’s director of football, Greg Miller, this week.
“It’s been an interesting time, but I think all parties are professional enough to separate different interests and to have been able to work through the opening of the juice bar and separate that from any football discussions,” Hall said.
“I knew what was going on, and I could see where they were coming from in wanting to recruit some good players, and now I’m just happy to be back there.”
Hall, who has played 47 matches for Richmond since débuting in 1999, has completed one-on-one fitness and weights sessions with an athletics coach over the last three weeks.
Originally from Woy Woy on the New South Wales’ central coast, Hall is capable of playing either in attack or defence or as a back-up ruckman. He endured an injury-marred 2003 season playing just nine games.
Moral of this story: Never go by what the RFC website says . Last time froars listens to me as well
. Last time froars listens to me as well 
