Veteran Richmond administrator Neil Balme says the Tigers are “pretty confident” that Dustin Martin and Liam Baker will stay at Punt Road next season.
Balme said it was unlikely Martin would take an opportunity at another club if he decided to play in 2025, adding that it would be the “wrong” time in his career for a rival to sign the three-time Norm Smith Medallist.
Martin, 33, has missed five games this season due to injury and his availability for Saturday night’s away game against Port Adelaide is uncertain.
He did not train last week as he struggles with a back problem which the club said first emerged when he was substituted due to back spasms in the Round of 16 loss to Carlton.
“Every other week there is a Dusty story that he is going somewhere, but I am very confident that if he plays, he will continue to play for us,” Balme told SEN on Tuesday.
“It would probably be wrong for another club to sign him because he is not yet at the stage where he can give his best and he will never be the guy who stands up and takes over all the media presence for you.
“That’s the challenge of being a strong club – there’s a chance you’ll lose your players at some point, but we’re pretty confident that won’t happen.”
Balme acknowledged that returning to his home state would be “hugely tempting” for Baker, having previously expressed a desire to settle in Western Australia after his playing career.
However, Richmond’s senior agent said he still thought it unlikely the 26-year-old would request a transfer to West Coast or Fremantle at the end of the season.
“We are much more aware of the needs of the players than before,” said Balme.
“We used to just say, ‘Sit down and shut up, you’re ours, do what we tell you.’ But I think we take them into account more, so there’s always a bigger chance of that happening (players leaving).
“I think we have a pretty good environment. It would be pretty unusual if our guys left.
“It’s obvious (Baker) has a big challenge going back. We’re pretty confident he’s not going to go, but it could very well happen … if he does, we’ll just have to deal with it.”