Richmond priority pick 2026

[tiger_tough]

3 recent flags, then decimating their own list, are you ****ing kidding !?!?
Watching Shai Bolton tearing it up for Freo is a joy to behold. What did richmond get for him ?

The Dockers sent picks 10, 11, and 18 to the Tigers in exchange for Bolton, pick 14, and a future third-round selection

 

[Meteoric Rise]

Teams needing help should get the assistance where it is required. For Richmond that is not priority picks. They need to fix the strength and conditioning and medical side of the club which is clearly uncompetitive with the other 17 teams and has been for 3 years.

So any assistance should be in that area. Extra soft cap space to be spent on high performance and/or medical. Possibly assistance with facilities, though I am unsure how that would work.

Piling more talent into a catastrophically failing high performance environment is pointless.

 

[Jeremy McLovin]

Probably entitled to the west coast package now

This is your third year of being shit, so the west coast package would be nothing.

 

[Black Saab]

This is your third year of being shit, so the west coast package would be nothing.

Was it five years for the Eagles?

 

[Jeremy McLovin]

Was it five years for the Eagles?

Got assistance last year after our fourth season of shitness, I'm actually about to post a rundown of recent PP history in a sec.

 

[Jeremy McLovin]

Warning, long read ahead.

Since the comparison hasn't actually been comprehensively made in here, let's straighten out what other teams have actually gotten in terms of assistance packages. The rules for PP's were changed in 2012, meaning they were no longer automatic and you had to apply for them. Since then they've been given to Brisbane, Suns, North, North, and Eagles.

To start with, let me define some terms.
Crap = less than 20.5 premiership points in a season. In other words, 5 wins or less. Why 20.5? Because it was the original cutoff for priority picks when they were introduced in the 90s.
Bad = less than 40.5 premiership points in a season. In other words, 10 wins or less. Why 40.5? Because 10 wins is double 5 wins, is double digits, and is a nice round number also captures years where you weren't making finals and were in mid table malaise.
All comparisons have been made based on full seasons, with the exception of including Richmond's 2026 season so far in theirs.

Brisbane, 2016: End of first rounder (ended up 21 at the draft after bid matching) granted after two consecutive years of being crap (combined 7 wins from 44 games, combined percentage 64.25%), and an additional five consecutive years of being bad prior to that (although 2012 and 2013 were both 10 win seasons, and as such just barely scrape in). When PP was given, they were 13 years removed from a threepeat.

Suns, 2019: A shitload (pick 1 2019, mid first rounder 2020, first pick of second round 2021, expanded rookie list for three years, expanded academy zone, three years worth of being able to directly add academy players to their list without having to match bids at the draft) granted after two consecutive years of being crap (combined 7 wins from 44 games, combined percentage 60.24%), and an additional their entire existence (7 years) of being bad, although 2014 was a 10 win season and as such barely scrapes in. No premiership history.

North, 2022: Future second rounder and future third rounder (tied to north's finishing position, had to be traded for at least one player) and two extra rookie spots granted after three consecutive years of being crap (combined 9 wins and a draw from 61 games, combined percentage 64.35%), and an additional year of being bad prior to that (although again, 2019 was a 10 win season). Most recent premiership in the 90s.

North, 2023: 2023 end of first rounder and 2 x 2024 end of first rounders, no trade requirement but up for review in 24 if north still held them and had improved. Continuation of the 2 extra rookie spots. Granted after four consecutive years of being crap (combined 12 wins and a draw from 84 games, combined percentage 66.42%), and an additional year of being bad prior to that (although again, 2019 was a 10 win season). Most recent premiership in the 90s.

Eagles, 2025: Granted end of first round pick and four extra rookie list spots after four years of being crap (11 wins from 91 games, combined percentage of 60.03%), and an additional year of being bad prior to that (with 2021 being a 10 win season, so again just scraping in). When the pick was granted we were seven years removed from a flag.

Current Richmond: Have been crap for two full seasons plus the start of this one (7 wins from 53 games, combined percentage of 63.21%). Were not bad prior to this, but with 10 wins and a draw the 2023 season was right on the margin of scraping in. At the end of this year will be six years removed from their third flag in four years.

Given the absolute cluster**** of a situation that is Richmond's injury list, I think it's pretty fair to assume that their current record over the last two and a bit seasons won't have significantly improved by the end of this season. This would leave them with a run that is roughly on par with those of Brisbane, suns, and north1, although a year longer than the first two and without the period of bad prior to the period of crap. By that standard, some assistance should be given.

HOWEVER, the west coast three year run of 2022-2024 was also comparable/worse, yet we didn't get shit. If we had gotten assistance in 24, it would have come six years after winning a flag - just like assistance this year would for the tigers, but unlike the eagles, the tigers' flag wasn't just a one off, it was the third in four years.

I don't think the tigers are likely to get draft assistance this year (unless they go completely winless), the optics are just too bad. There's already enough talk of vic bias, and it was bad enough when in short succession it went from vic team getting assistance after three (and four) crap years to a wa team only getting help after 4, with the only saving grace being "ThEy'Re RiCh AnD wOn A fLaG rEcEnTlY!!1!!". If they then turn around and assist another vic team after only three years despite a recent DYNASTY, the optics would be too bad to ignore (but this is of course the afl so they may just do it anyway).

The other confounding matter is that much has been made of this year being the last uncompromised draft before Tassie comes in, and the recent changes to bid matching to make it less compromised - again, very poor optics if you then turn around and re-compromise it by giving out priority pick(s).

I think more rookie spots is the most Richmond are likely to get, and I would be in favour of that - honestly though, that's not saying much since I'm also in favour of having no cap at all on list sizes, given the stupidity that is the salary cap floor.

 

[THE_GUN]

Scrap the PP altogether

Team needs help then give them extra Rookie spots to get players they need to become competitive
Extra Rookie spots and ability to increase soft cap spend is more beneficial than a extra pick #19 that gets blown out to #25 range.

 

[GuyIncognito]

Yet closer to a flag than the Scats

Keep your chin up man. It will get better.

 

[tiger_tough]

Im happy to gift it to the Eagles if we receive one

 

[juss]

I'd take one

 

[Black Saab]

Keep your chin up man. It will get better.

Your silver spoon fell on the floor. You'll be right.

Goooooooo Tigers!!!!!