WEST Coast Eagles management has intensified attempts to lure Richmond midfield young gun Reece Conca. Conca, 21, is in the market for lucrative four-year deal in the region of $300,000 a season if he chooses to continue his blossoming AFL career back in his home state after 52 games with Richmond since he was a top-10 draft pick at the end of 2010. The nippy and skilful ball-handler is believed to have attracted interest from up to a dozen other AFL clubs as doubts rise that Conca will stay a Tiger. And West Coast has also jumped into the race to sign disgruntled Brisbane utility Elliott Yeo. Yeo, 19, was scheduled to meet with Eagles management in Perth today as he considers his future after a roller-coaster 2013 at the Lions that included the sacking of senior coach and Lions legend Michael Voss late into August. Yeo and Conca are Western Australian football products and fit the Eagles recruiting model targeting fast and gifted midfielders in ambitious plans to rebound as a potential finals force as early as next season after West Coast grossly under-achieved this season with just nine wins and finishing 13th on the AFL premiership ladder. Fremantle officials are also expected to approach Conca and Yeo after this month’s premiership campaign. Conca has been linked with a possible four-year deal at Fremantle. Plans for his playing future are expected to become clearer when the Dockers conclude their history-breaking finals campaign over the next fortnight. Conca is a frontline Eagles recruiting target despite mounting likelihood that star on-baller Dustin Martin will leave the Tigers. West Coast is understood to have ruled out any prospect of joining the race to secure Martin. The highly talented but often troublesome Martin and his manager Ralph Carr are insisting on at least $600,000 a season over four years and have rejected as much as $520,000 from Tigers management. With serious doubts Martin will stay at Richmond, the classy Conca has become a hot property signing. West Coast is also understood to have lost interest in luring Carlton speedster and WA product Chris Yarran in their recruiting drive for top midfielders and dashing line-breakers. Conca and his manager Colin Young are believed to already have held preliminary discussions with Eagles football operations boss Craig Vozzo. A trade deal for Conca’s switch to West Coast will prove a tough negotiation with the Tigers likely to insist on the Eagles first round draft pick at number six and potentially even another player in the swap. Conca was taken at No.6 three years back and is considered a star on-baller in the making at Richmond as the Tigers continue to build toward sustained finals after an inglorious exit from the opening week of the premiership play-off series this month in a shocking second half fadeout to staunch rival Carlton. Conca had minor surgery late last week to a torn hamstring he suffered in the opening five minutes of his finals appearance against the Blues. He is expected to be fully recovered in time to start a new pre-season in mid-November.
Posted on: Wed, 18 Sep 2013 02:04:58 +0000
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