Richmond coach Adem Yze has labelled speculation surrounding star Tiger Shai Bolton's future as "irrelevant" and "disrespectful" given the livewire forward has four years remaining on his contract at Punt Road.
Bolton has been linked with a potential move to Fremantle this year, with the Western Australian club loaded with a trio of first-round draft selections and potentially keen to lure the star Tiger back to his home state.
Any Richmond exit would need to be approved by the club however, with Bolton signed to the yellow and black on a five-year deal that expires in 2028.
Already dealing with several star players facing uncertain futures, Yze was categorical that Bolton remains a key piece in the club's future and will be a Tiger beyond this season.
When asked on the 25-year-old's reported interest from the Dockers, who Bolton kicked 4.3 against last Saturday, Yze said the conjecture was unwarranted given the star's contract status and value to the Tigers.
"I don't need to have that discussion, he's one of our best players and he's contracted," Yze said of the 2022 All-Australian.
"The only discussion I have is how can we get him playing his best footy. We had that discussion last week and he was on the front foot on how he thinks he can get back to form, and he did that.
"He was impressive on the weekend and he was back to his best. He had some parts of his game where he could've finished and been best on ground.
"The contract stuff is irrelevant and the speculation around what he's doing next year I think it's a little bit disrespectful. He's got four years to run on a contract and he's one of our best players.
"My responsibility is that he's playing his best footy... I don't know if he has [met with Fremantle] or not."
Bolton isn't the only player believed to be in Fremantle's sights ahead of the off-season, with fellow WA native Liam Baker weighing up his future and a potential return to his home state.
Both the Dockers and Eagles are seen to have an interest in the hard-nosed utility, who is off-contract at the cessation of this season.
Baker and premiership teammates Dustin Martin, Jack Graham and Dion Prestia are all yet to confirm their futures beyond 2024, with Yze documenting in the past that those looking decisions could impact their on-field efforts.
The Richmond coach said he won't seek answers from the crop of his playing group who are weighing up career calls, with the ex-Melbourne assistant understanding of the "burden".
"I don't think I'll have to get ruthless with them when it comes to those decisions. They'll make up their mind," Yze added.
"In the end, with our list manager Blair Hartley those discussions are always happening. By the end of the season those decisions will come out.
"Right now, I look them in the eye and hope they go out and play with our jumper, play the right way, come in and enjoy their time at the footy club.ย We're here to play and perform.
"I feel for the players when they're going through this, they've got the weight of the world on their shoulders and they're carrying this burden for the whole season.
"If one of our players decided in the middle of the year that he was going to leave and he spoke to the playing group and our leaders... you'll sense the buy-in. By releasing that, I think they'd play better anyway. That's all we want."
Unlike Martin, Graham and Prestia, Baker isn't a free agent this year and would need to be traded to find a new home, should he seek a move.
A first-round selection from Fremantle could help get a deal done between the two clubs, meaning Richmond would add to an already strong draft hand currently consisting of Picks 1, 21, 36, 39, 41, 54, 57, 66 and 69.
The Dockers' first-round selections are currently placed at selections 10, 13 and 16 for November's intake.
