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TYRONE Vickery is all but certain to be at Hawthorn next year after the Hawks tabled a free agency offer for the forward/ruckman on Friday.
The Hawks have offered Vickery a two-year deal.
Vickery is a restricted free agent, which gives Richmond the right to match Hawthorn's offer, but the Tigers have to do so by Monday - within three days of the offer being made.
If Richmond matches the offer, Hawthorn would have to trade for Vickery or seek to pick him in the national or pre-season draft.
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No club has matched a rival offer since free agency's introduction in 2012, although Geelong traded for Adelaide free agent Patrick Dangerfield last year after the Crows indicated they would match its offer.
Vickery has been linked to Hawthorn for several months and would help the Hawks fill the forward/ruck hole left by David Hale's retirement at the end of 2015 and Jonathon Ceglar's likely absence for much of 2017 following a knee reconstruction.
"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," Hawks recruiting and list manager Graham Wright said.
"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 No.8 pick in the 2008 NAB AFL Draft, Vickery has played 119 games for Richmond and kicked 158 goals.
He kicked 26.15 from 17 games in 2016, but was dropped twice after round 15.
After Vickery was dropped for the first time, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said the 26-year-old remained "an integral part" of the Tigers' future.
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"Six-foot-seven, six-foot-eight guys that can mark and kick goals don't grow on trees," Hardwick said in July.
"Ty's form at stages has been a little bit indifferent and he's the first to admit that. We probably ran out of a little bit of patience with him, but he's firmly part of my plans going forward
"He's a great guy, Ty. He's very well loved around our football community. We've just got to make sure we get him playing his best football and hopefully that's not too far away."
