Sydney Stack's new two-year contract will include financial incentives based upon his pre-season fitness as Richmond hope he can return next season in the form of his life.
It was Stack's fitness and questions over his professionalism that saw him slip through the cracks to be taken by Richmond in the first place.
It's encouraging that the 19-year-old himself and his management agreed to these conditions in his contract as they must have confidence he'll return in that form.
Many believe the teenager, from Western Australia, is in the best place in Melbourne to maintain his form.
He isn't the first to have fitness clauses in his contract. AFL players are often given targets for skinfolds or time trial results when they return to the club over summer and incentivised accordingly.
Stackโs manager and mentor Paul Peos says he's happy with how the contract talks went.
โBoth parties know he needs another pre-season and there are a few things that we discussed and agreed on that we thought would potentially incentivise it through that pre-season period," he told the Herald Sun.
"As a young boy he is a bit inconsistent in that area and we want to provide some incentives in the contract to work through that period.
โIt can be financial, some of the detail we are still working through but all parties are pretty happy and things are moving in the right direction.โ
Alongside this, the Herald Sun believe the Tigers are likely to sign forward Liam Baker to a new deal and free agent Shane Edwards should also remain with the club.
