Tigers new boys impress in win over Crows
Feb 24, 2017 - 4:31 PM It's still early days but Richmond's bold off-season recruiting strategy is off to a good start.The Tigers opened their pre-season account with a 19-point win over Adelaide on Friday night and Dion Prestia, Josh Caddy and Toby Nankervis already look to have improved their new team.
Prestia and Caddy gathered 21 disposals each, while Nankervis had a strong presence at the stoppages.
Former Gold Coast midfielder Prestia was the costliest of those acquisitions, the Tigers exchanging a No.6 draft pick and later picks with the Suns for the 24-year-old, but he's well on his way to justifying that hefty price tag.
"He's just nice and neat, isn't he? He just wins the ball," Damien Hardwick said.
"I think he had (12) contested possessions in limited game time, so he complements our midfield really well.
"The great thing I love about his game is that defensively he runs really hard as well, which is something we value highly."
Prestia, whose last season with the Suns was ruined by a knee injury, won't play in the next pre-season hit-out as the club manages his training load.
Despite the departure of fan favourite Brett Deledio and Ty Vickery, the Tigers appear to have given themselves more on-field options over the summer.
"It just allows us to spread the load a little bit," Hardwick said.
"Dangerous one-on-one players are really handy to have and probably by (Prestia and Caddy) coming in it helps our potency up forward."
Compared to the Prestia transaction, 22-year-old ruckman Nankervis was a relative steal, costing Richmond pick No.46.
"Sydney were really sorry to see him go, he got squeezed out, and we were very fortunate that he chose to come to us," Hardwick said
"He competes very hard, he's a good long down the line mark and he uses the ball really well.
"We're really happy with his competitiveness."
Rookie Jason Castagna also caught the eye with three goals, his third capping a lightning-quick piece of ball movement from defence that would have warmed the hearts of Tigers fans.
Star defender Alex Rance didn't play against Adelaide due to a hamstring strain, but Hardwick confirmed he would be in the selection mix for their next pre-season game.
Source: AAP
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