- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Tyrone Vickery has accepted a free agency offer from Hawthorn and will be a Hawk in 2017, so long as his current club the Richmond Tigers opt not to match the offer.
And that seems likely to be the case as the Tigers will probably be happy to see the back of Vickery, who has at times been a headache player for them, and receive a compensation pick.
Richmond says the club is “currently consider it’s next step in the allotted 72-hour window.”
Vickery has agreed to a two-year contract with the Hawks which will see him signed up there until the end of 2018.
He is expected to spend more time in the ruck at Hawthorn than he typically has at Richmond, but will still spend a significant amount of game time as a key forward.
“Ty is keen to come to the Hawks and we are hopeful that we have provided him with a deal that will see this come to fruition,” said Hawthorn’s list manager Graham Wright.
“His ability to play both ruck and forward is an extremely valuable asset, making him a fantastic addition to our list.
“At 26 years of age Ty has plenty of football left to play and we look forward to seeing what he can produce at the Hawks.”
The Hawks will be looking at him to carry at least some of the load left behind by the retirment of David Hale, and the absences of Jarryd Roughead (cancer) and Jon Ceglar (ACL).
Without Hale and Roughead, Hawthorn struggled to find a forward-line focal point for the majority of the 2016 season, and ultimately bowed out of finals in straight sets.
Vickery is certainly the type of player they need, however it is questionable whether he is capable of performing to the level they’ll be hoping for.
He has had reasonable impact as a goalkicker behind Jack Riewoldt in recent years, but may struggle trying to play more of a No.1 forward role at the Hawks.
On the other hand, it’s entirely possible that a change of scenery and coaching, along with improved delivery from a more polished midfield, could see Vickery relish this opportunity and play career-best footy.
The Hawks clearly have some level of confidence in him, and they rarely if ever make bad decisions when it comes to trade time.
If Vickery can have a breakout year in his first season as a Hawk, that will go a long way towards putting Hawthorn back in the frame for premiership contention in 2017.
The Tigers, assuming they decline to match Hawthorn’s offer, will receive a compensation pick of some variety for his departure.
Given Vickery has signed only a two-year deal, it’s unlikely that will be anything earlier than a second-round or end-of-second-round pick.
For Hawthorn, Vickery makes one off-season target down, two to go, with Jaeger O’Meara and Tom Mitchell both still on the list to acquire over the next fortnight.
Hawthorn has made their first move in the trade period.
?: https://t.co/iQAE8KSXFc pic.twitter.com/LIhVst6MWk
— Hawthorn FC (@HawthornFC) October 7, 2016
Forward Ty Vickery has today been made an offer as a restricted free agent to continue his career with @HawthornFC.https://t.co/p1P8I346Ka
— Richmond FC (@Richmond_FC) October 7, 2016
Hawthorn has formally tabled an offer with AFL for restricted free agent Ty Vickery.
Richmond now has 3 calendar days to match offer or not.— Patrick Keane (@AFL_PKeane) October 7, 2016
