Does Richmond need to trade some established players in order to build a quality young core?
Kane Cornes believes the Tigers must take that course of action in order to replenish their list after losing a group of premiership stars over the last few years.
The key player who Cornes is considering in this conversation is Liam Baker, and to a lesser extent Dustin Martin.
It comes after the West Australian reported that Baker has purchased a $2.2 million house in Perth, further igniting rumours that he could be soon headed back to Western Australia.
Baker, 26, is out of contract this year but is not a free agent meaning interested clubs, including West Coast and Fremantle, would need to agree on a trade if he were to depart the Tigers.
Cornes believes two-time premiership player Baker would be worth a first-round draft pick and has implored the Tigers to start building an arsenal of draft picks for the good of their future.
“My thoughts on this are that Richmond should trade him,” Cornes said on SEN’s Sportsday.
“Richmond should trade Baker, and they should try to trade (Dustin) Martin, and they should try to trade some others to get the draft capital in.
“(Empty out) to a certain point, obviously you need a balance. I still think there’s enough experienced players under contract with what they’ve got there, particularly with (Jacob) Hopper and (Tim) Taranto on long-term deals, and (Tom) Lynch will stick around.
“I think it’s about replenishing their list with younger players and if you can get a first-round pick from a West Coast or a Freo, who are stacked with picks, that would be a wise move.
“I would think so (a first-round pick), absolutely. I wouldn’t suggest they’d be doing a top-five pick, but there’s all sorts of things you could do with future picks and splitting picks.”
By no means is Cornes suggesting that the Tigers should move Baker on due to a lack of performance, but only to “cash in” and bolster their draft capital.
“Don’t get me wrong, I really love him as a player. This isn’t any criticism of him, I think he’s an excellent player,” he added.
“But just for where Richmond are at and where I think it’s going for them, cash in now. You’ll get big offers.”
AFL Media’s Josh Gabelich threw up an interesting wrinkle that strengthens the renewed interest of the Eagles who were keen on Baker in 2022.
Long-time Richmond recruiting manager Matt Clarke joined West Coast in February and his presence could be a key factor in any possible move.
“The wrinkle here for me is the new West Coast list manager is Matt Clarke who recruited him (Baker) to Richmond,” Gabelich added.
“He’d been there for the best part of 15 years, so it just adds another layer to the intrigue here.”
Baker was picked up by Richmond in the 2018 rookie draft and has since played 112 games in the black and yellow.
He was named vice-captain of the club ahead of the 2024 season.
The heart-and-soul Baker indicated earlier this month that he was in no hurry to re-sign with the Tigers after a raft of off-season changes at the club.