FIRST-YEAR Richmond coach Adem Yze admits trade speculation around contracted pair Shai Bolton and Daniel Rioli has been frustrating as the Tigers attempt to grind out a brutal season.
Last-placed Richmond faces crunch list management decisions around its premiership-winning stars.
Liam Baker is expected to join West Coast or Fremantle and the Eagles are also chasing free agent Jack Graham - with Yze understanding of their situations, given they are out of contract.
He is less happy with talk around Bolton, who is contracted until 2028 but has been linked to a return to Western Australia, and Rioli, who is in Gold Coast's sights despite being signed until the end of 2027.
"As I've said all along, he's (Bolton) a contracted player. He's one of our best players, and right now he's got a long-term deal with our footy club, so until that changes, yeah, he's a required player," Yze said after Sunday's 63-point thrashing from Hawthorn at the MCG.
"When we're talking about guys out of contract, like Liam Baker and Jack Graham, I get it, but when we're talking about players that have got long-term deals that are contracted to our footy club, that does get a little bit frustrating.
"Liam will make that decision. Jack Graham's got that decision. He's got a contract in front of him, they both have. They'll make that decision in due course.
"And like I said, the other two (Bolton and Rioli) are contracted and required players at our footy club. So it is what it is."
Despite the scrutiny, Bolton was among Richmond's more influential players on Sunday, with Yze hailing his "pressure and defence".
Yze admitted his first season had felt "a little bit tight" and a longer year given what the injury-riddled Tigers had been through.
Richmond closes its season against Gold Coast at the MCG next Saturday while fighting an unlikely battle to avoid a first wooden spoon since 2007. The Tigers are four points and percentage below second-bottom North Melbourne, which plays the rampaging Hawthorn.
Richmond will also farewell retired champion Dustin Martin on Saturday.
"It is going to be around that, celebrating obviously one of our best," Yze said.
"It's our last home game. We want to finish off the right way, all those sorts of things.
"But at the same time, our team's going to be different next year, whether it is those players that you're talking about, or the fact that we've got guys retiring and we've got to make some decisions on our list anyway.
"You want to do your supporters and our Tiger army proud, but at the same time we're going to have different players wearing the jumper the following season.
"So we want to finish off strongly and put on a really good performance for our supporters."
