Brett Deledio Biography

After being stood down at the Hawks as a development coach following the COVID-19 pandemic, Brett Deledio joins Mac's Sports agency to become a player manager.

Brett Deledio and Andy Otten join Hawthorn as part-time coaches and will play for the Hawks' VFL affiliate Box Hill.

"It's terrific from a Box Hill perspective to have a duo of their calibre and experience commit in both a playing and coaching capacity," Hawthorn football manager Graham Wright said.

"And from a Hawthorn lens, these guys will bring a fresh perspective and plenty of new ideas to our coaching line-up."

Brett Deledio's retirement comes sooner than expected after he suffered yet another calf injury in Greater Western Sydney's elimination final thumping of the Western Bulldogs.

Deledio announced his retirement at season's end last month and while the Giants won their cut-throat final to keep their campaign alive, the 32-year-old was chaired off the ground in highly emotional scenes.

He was hugged by teammates after the final siren of GWS' 58-point win at Giants Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Deledio will have scans on Sunday, but it is highly unlikely he could be risked again by the Giants, even if they do make it deep into the finals series.

The veteran felt his calf go in the opening term but bravely decided to play on to help his team get over the Bulldogs and laid a huge tackle that gave Daniel Lloyd a crucial goal in the third term.

"I cooked it in the first quarter, but I had to do my bit and hang in there for the boys. It's pretty sore, and I don't know how big the strain is in the tendon," Deledio said.

"If we make it through (to the Grand Final) I might be a chance (to play again) but it looks like it might be curtains, unfortunately.

"I had to roll the dice and hope that it hung on, I wanted to give it everything to try and get back. Halfway through that first quarter, I was feeling really good and then all of a sudden (it went) as it always (does)."

Brett Deledio announces his retirement, effective at the end of the 2019 season.

Deledio is expected to be sidelined for at least a month with his latest calf strain and will need the Giants to play at least a couple of finals to have any chance of a farewell match.

Brett Deledio says he wants to play on in 2020.

Deledio, 32, has played just 26 games in three seasons at the Giants because of Achilles, calf and hamstring injuries, but has shown he's a valuable member of the GWS team when fully fit.

"I've always wanted to play for as long as I can, because you're a long-time not playing, as my old man has always told me," Deledio said.

"I'm not ready to give it up just yet, as hard as it is, I still love every day that I get to come out here and do what I do.

"My body has been my biggest issue and if that holds up, I think I'm more than capable mentally to get the job done."

Brett Deledio says dealing with his injuries was insignificant after having to going through a family tragedy.

In January, Deledio's sister-in-law Sara Chivers lost her long-running battle with brain cancer at just 34 years of age, a horrific blow given her infant son Alfie was also fighting a different form of the disease.

"When you've got little injuries, they seem big at the time, and when I was younger it would have been the end of the world to miss so much footy," Deledio said.

"I was devastated to be missing games again, but we had some serious illnesses in the family and were dealing with saying goodbye to people, so a calf injury was the least of my worries.

"To put it in perspective, I'm just grateful to be able to live and breathe. To get back out there and play footy is something I'm thankful for each and every day."

Brett Deledio says being with his family has helped him cope with his injury setbacks.

"It really knocked me about a bit, but I got a cuddle from my little girl and she told me everything was going to be alright - because I was a bit upset about it at the time," Deledio said about his calf injury.

"I'm just very grateful my family is healthy and we're living and breathing, enjoying every day."

Brett Deledio will miss up to 10 weeks after suffering a fresh calf strain at training in his return from a four-week hamstring injury.

"It's the other side to what he hurt and kept him out for large periods of last season, but it means we're going to have to take an extended break for Brett and rehab him again and get him back towards the back end of the year," Giants head of athletic performance David Joyce said.

"It's slightly different in that it involves the tendon. His past history of soleus strains is something we have to consider very carefully with this."

Hamstrung Brett Deledio hopes to return to the field within a fortnight, but has admitted it could be longer given his history with muscle tendon injuries.

The 31-year-old says he's back running but there remains some doubt over when he'll be available to play again.

"It's been around my tendon and they tend to take a little bit of time," he said.

"It's not ideal. I was really starting to enjoy my footy and then you start to question what's going on again."

A meticulously planned summer has an injury-free Brett Deledio back in the right frame of mind to be back to his best as a damaging midfielder for the Giants.

Deledio gathered 28 possessions against Fremantle in round four, then followed that up with 29 touches, two goals and six tackles against St Kilda the next week.

"(When you're struggling) You feel like you're under the pump more than you really are and as soon as you get it, you want to flick it off," Deledio said.

"I never gave up hope they I could play the game, I just didn't have the confidence in my body to do what I wanted to do.

"I'm just loving being out there loving footy again."

Brett Deledio opens up about the frustration of dealing with injuries in 2017.

"You think the game is starting to go past you when you get a bit older and I was just fed up with my body letting me down," Deledio said.

"I'd just got myself going really well (before the finals) then my Achilles got sore, so I carried that right through the finals and wasn't able to perform the way I wanted to.

"It was a little bit embarrassing, being a pretty proud man I was disappointed I couldn't do what I wanted to do."

Brett Deledio will play in his round 1 match since 2015 when he runs out against the Western Bulldogs at UNSW Canberra Oval the Giants' 2018 season opener.

"He's got a lot of running in his legs, so we're really confident that’s going to hold him in good stead," GWS coach Leon Cameron said.

"That was a deliberate plan to build him up that way; it wasn't through necessity because of injury. It was all about him timing his run."

Brett Deledio says he was unable to bring himself to watch the Tigers' remarkable AFL premiership triumph, fearful of how it would mentally affect him.

"It was still so raw, the emotion of it all, that I made the decision that I probably shouldn't, just for fear of it really getting to me mentally," Deledio said.

"The photos of all the boys celebrating, some of my best mates, that was really tough.

"To go through everything we did in the previous years and then to see them celebrating something I felt I should have been a part of, or could have been a part of, was really tough."

GWS assistant coach Mark McVeigh says Brett Deledio's milestone will not be overlooked in the lead-up to the Giants' second preliminary final in two years against Richmond.

"Brett's been outstanding for us. Even though he hasn't played a lot of games, he's brought a professionalism to our younger players that perhaps they wouldn't have seen before as well," McVeigh said.

"It's been a real pleasure to be a part of his career, late in his career. He deserves his 250 games and he deserves to play in front of a big crowd tomorrow and do really well."

As he prepares to face his former side in a preliminary final on the eve of his 250th game, ex-Tiger Brett Deledio says he has no regrets moving to the Giants.

"It was a fresh start for me which is exactly what I wanted, and I'm loving my time up here," he said.

"I've dealt with all that in October when I moved, so it's all water under the bridge."

Richmond's resurgence in 2017 has even brought a smile to the face of Brett Deledio, after his departure from the club last year in search of greener pastures at Greater Western Sydney.

"I left Richmond last year and we had a really ordinary year," Deledio said.

"But I'm just rapt for my close mates and the people I know involved at the club. It's great they get to taste finals again."

As he prepares to finally make his debut for the Giants, Brett Deledio admits he came close to giving up on the 2017 season.

"Thoughts definitely did go through my head that maybe I'd be better off just cooling the heels for the rest of the year and getting it right," he said.

"But I've got an incredibly supportive family and a good bunch of friends, and I've leant on them quite a bit.

"I've always looked at it like 'what other options have I got?' and we're a great chance to go a long way this year, so I wanted to give myself every shot to be a part of that.

"There was always that motivation so I never wanted to give up."

Brett Deledio will make his long-awaited senior debut against Melbourne this week.

Deledio was finally been able to get a solid training block under his belt in recent weeks, and has made two successful appearances in the NEAFL to convince coach Leon Cameron that he's ready for a call-up.

Brett Deledio will make his long-awaited return to football in the NEAFL on Saturday.

Deledio, who joined the club from the Tigers in last year's trade period, will play against Sydney University at Blacktown International SportsPark.

He hasn't played at any level since round 17 last year.

"He'll probably play 50 to 60 percent in the NEAFL on the weekend, it's great for Brett and great for the club as we know what he's been through," GWS coach Leon Cameron said.

"Touch wood he gets through unscathed this weekend, he needs another game next week and then hopefully he'll be knocking on the door after that."

Brett Deledio is facing a battle against time to take the field this season after injuring his other calf at training.

The 30-year-old was eyeing a mid-season return from a lingering right calf injury, however his latest setback casts significant doubt over his availability in 2017.

The club said Deledio had suffered a "grade-one strain" and could not put an accurate time frame on his return at this stage.

Brett Deledio is making solid progress in his rehabilitation from a calf injury but admits he can't put an exact timeframe on his return to the field.

"I'm confident I can play in the back half (of the season)," he said.

"We tried to rush it a bit early on probably and I did suffer a couple of setbacks, but since we've gone nice and slow we've built it up and got it nice and strong.

"Whenever that time is - I'm not going to put a timeframe on it because ultimately you set yourself up to fail - but when I do get back, I want to be back for the rest of the year."

Greater Western Sydney coach Leon Cameron has dismissed speculation Brett Deledio will be sidelined for the first two months of the season.

However, the coach did admit he doesn't really know when his star recruit will shake off a calf injury to make his debut for the Giants.

"Brett's got a minor strain in his calf and in terms of the timeline we haven't actually set one yet so I don't know how they've actually been set by someone else," Cameron said.

"We are going to be extra cautious on it. It is really minor but because of his history we'd be silly to rush it.

"I can't comment and say that it's going to be three weeks if it turns out to be two, or four weeks if it turns out to be five. We're working through that at the moment."

Brett Deledio is in a race against time to be fit for round one as he battles a calf injury.

Deledio missed the last six rounds of 2016 with a calf injury and has managed persistent Achilles problems throughout the past three years.

"We can't fault the way he's gone about it. He's shown some great leadership, he's been a little bit frustrated but we still think he'll get some game time in before round one," GWS assistant coach Lenny Hayes said.

"He's had a couple of minor setbacks but nothing that should hold him back too much, he's going to be an important player for us so we have to get him right."

Brett Deledio's almost faultless pre-season has been stalled with the midfielder ruled out of the opening game of the JLT Community Series with a calf strain.

“Brett will maintain his strength program but will have his running loads reduced in the short term as we look to build up his training again over the next three weeks," GWS head of athletic performance David Joyce said.

"We expect him to play a role in the later stages of the JLT Community Series."

Greater Western Sydney recruit Brett Deledio says he is expecting a torrid welcome from Richmond players and fans when they cross paths next season.

"The 'Tiger Army' were fantastic, they supported me through thick and thin, and I'd be disappointed if they didn't boo me or something at some stage," Deledio said.

"When you spend 12 years at a place you certainly get mixed emotions, I've got some great mates there, so it'll be fun running out against them.

"I'm sure they wouldn't mind getting into me, because we did that at training every second day."

After 243 games for Richmond, Brett Deledio says he decided to move to the Giants to reinvigorate his career and rediscover his love for the game.

"I started to lose, I wouldn't say passion but I'd started to lose motivation and the love of the game," he said.

"I wanted to reinvigorate myself and play for the love."

Deledio says he left the Tigers with the blessing of Richmond coach Damien Hardwick.

"He (Hardwick) has been really good throughout the whole thing and his initial reaction was 'I think you should go to GWS'," Deledio said.

"He just gave me advice on it and said he went through it as well when he left the Bombers.

"He was disappointed that it had come to this point and we hadn't got the success or the wins we wanted through this year or the finals the past three years as well.

"He completely understood that after 12 years I needed something new. We had a handshake and a beer and away we went."

Brett Deledio bids farewell to his former club, thanking Richmond via an instagram post.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the RFC (Richmond Football Club) for all that they have done for me since I arrived in 2004," Deledio said.

"I am incredibly grateful for the support, faith and guidance the club has shown in me.

"Not only developing me into an AFL footballer, but also helping me turn into the person I have become."

The comments were posted alongside a picture from his younger days, featuring longer hair and blond tips.

"To the Tiger faithful, thank you for sticking with me and the club through thick and thin in the time I have been at the club," he said.

"We have had some ups and downs but there you were, every weekend, cheering on the boys with that famous Tiger roar that always sent chills down my spine whenever we were making a charge at the MCG.

"While I have decided to have a fresh start, Richmond will always hold a special place in my heart and I will always be forever grateful of the influence the club has had on me."

Greater Western Sydney has added more experience to its impressive young list with the acquisition of former Richmond star Brett Deledio, who has taken a pay cut to join the Giants.

Deledio became a Giant just minutes before the deadline of this year's NAB AFL trade period, in exchange for a first- and third-round selection at next year's draft.

The 29-year-old joins GWS on a three-year deal.

"Brett is unquestionably one of the competition's elite players and has shown over a long period of time an ability to play a variety of roles which we think will complement our list well," Giants general manager of football Wayne Campbell said.

"To secure a player of Brett's ability while also maintaining a strong position in next month's national draft has resulted in a very positive trade period for the club."

Greater Western Sydney is making a late play for star Tiger Brett Deledio but faces a race against time to clinch a deal before the trade deadline.

The 29-year-old then looked set to stay at Punt Rd in 2017 to honour the final year of his existing contract, but GWS is now making a strong bid to entice the two-time All Australian to Spotless Stadium.

Deledio flew to Sydney on Tuesday to meet with Giants officials and is believed to be open to joining the 2016 preliminary finalists.

GWS is considering offering Richmond a late first-round draft pick for Deledio, but in return would expect the Tigers to pay some of his lucrative 2017 salary.

Brett Deledio and Zach Tuohy have both nominated Geelong as their preferred destination on the opening day of the NAB AFL Trade period.

However, Cats list manager Stephen Wells said the club would have to get creative to sort out a suitable trade for Deledio and Tuohy, and to fit both players within their salary cap.

"Trying to find a way to fit in all that, to fit in those boys, won't be easy," Wells told SEN radio.

"We've got meetings this morning to go through how we might be able to get all this done.

"If we gave up one of our ripper players, that we were always going to keep, that would get it done. But we're not going to do that and we don't want to do that."

Cats list manager Stephen Wells confirms the club's interest in Brett Deledio.

"We have an interest in Brett but it's a bit like the speculation around Steven Motlop," Wells said.

"Brett's a contracted player at Richmond and we fully expect Richmond to want him to play for them."

Brett Deledio has flagged his interest in joining Geelong.

"Geelong has expressed their interest and we had some discussions today that didn't progress too far. It's the first days so there's a long way to go," Richmond football talent manager Dan Richardson said.

"We'll see how things pan out. Brett has expressed his interest in joining Geelong as well, but at this stage we won't be letting Brett Deledio go for nothing that's for sure."

Brett Deledio again dismisses speculation surrounding his future at Richmond, saying he has not entertained approaches from other clubs.

Deledio is contracted at Richmond for next season, but former teammate Matthew Richardson told 3AW that the lack of a "categorical" statement from the club and Deledio's manager, Anthony McConville, about the star forward's future suggested he was "just not feeling the love from Richmond at the moment."

"I can understand why the club hasn't (refuted the trade speculation) because I am contracted and there are bigger things that are going on at the club at the moment that probably take precedence," Deledio said.

Brett Deledio will be put in cotton wool for the rest of the season after the Tigers confirmed a calf injury has ended his year.

The 29-year-old suffered the injury in the Tigers' round 17 win over Essendon, with the club initially playing down the severity of the problem.

But Richmond on Wednesday ruled out Deledio for the final three rounds of the year, saying the "persistent" injury has limited Deledio from progressing his running program on the sidelines.

The Tigers stressed that Deledio has not suffered a setback, but football manager Dan Richardson said the important midfielder would be put on ice to be ready for the start of the pre-season.

Brett Deledio will have scans on his troublesome right calf after pulling up sore in the Tiger's win over Essendon.

Deledio starred in the first half at the MCG with 19 possessions, but he didn't take any further part in the game after reporting tightness during the main break.

Brett Deledio has rubbished suggestions he should be traded and says Richmond's list does not need an overhaul despite its poor start to the season.

Commentators have suggested that the Tigers need a list rebuild, arguing the club should consider trading one of its big-name players to kick-start that process.

"I know I won't be going anywhere. I'm a contracted player for next year and I've always said that I want to be a one-club player," Deledio said.

"From the very first day I got to Richmond, I looked straight away as to how many games Dale Weightman had played in the No.3 (jumper) and I wanted to try and beat that."

Brett Deledio is hopeful the club does not consider him trade bait at the end of this season if it chooses to target more prime draft picks.

Deledio is contracted to the end of next season but there have been suggestions the club should trade him to bring in a first-round draft pick before he becomes a free agent at the end of 2017.

"I just hope it's not Richmond supporters or Richmond recruiting staff or the coaching staff that want to get rid of me," Deledio told RSN927.

"I'm happy if it is [the media] that are calling for my head, but I'm very happy as a Richmond player and very happy building the team we've got going at the moment.

"I'm contracted until the end of next year, so I'm staying put for now."

Brett Deledio is ruled out of the Tigers' round-one match with Carlton after injuring his quadriceps.

"He's had some tightness in his quad, hence you saw yesterday he was on a restricted program," Richmond football manager Dan Richardson said.

"It's not too bad, it's nothing serious, but we think it's probably better not to take the risk."

Richmond has made two additions to its leadership group for 2016, with midfielder Trent Cotchin retained for his fourth year as captain.

Reigning club champion Alex Rance has been added to the five-man leadership group, along with small forward Shane Edwards.

Vice-captains Brett Deledio and Ivan Maric remain in official leadership roles, which are voted on by the players in consultation with the coaches, while defenders Steven Morris and Troy Chaplin have been omitted.

Alex Rance wins his first Richmond best and fairest for the Tigers, capping a brilliant season just months after he considered walking away from the game.

Rance polled 76 votes to edge out midfielder Dustin Martin (60) and vice-captain Brett Deledio (54), receiving the Jack Dyer Medal at a sold-out Crown Palladium.

Richmond vice-captain Brett Deledio says he can't remember much from the tackle that landed Essendon's Courtenay Dempsey a four-match ban, but he remembers thinking mid-air "this won't end well".

Deledio was lifted and slammed into the MCG turf by his opponent on Saturday night, in a driving tackle that left him briefly unconscious and with a stiff neck in the following days.

He regained consciousness as the Richmond trainers came to treat him on-ground and said he was "very grateful it didn't end up a lot worse".

"I remember being picked up (by Dempsey) and thinking this is not going to end well," Deledio said.

"The next thing I remember, Anthony, one of our trainers, had his hands on me saying, "don't move, stay still".

"I can't really remember a whole lot, but after the game he (Dempsey) definitely said sorry.

"My neck was a little bit stiff for a couple of days, but I trained today and I passed my concussion test with flying colours apparently."

Brett Deledio admits he should not have played against Carlton in round one after a less-than-ideal pre-season.

Deledio aggravated the soleus muscle in his calf in the club's season opener, forcing him to miss the next four games.

"I'm still happy I did play because I felt I played my part to help the boys get the win," Deledio said.

"But if I had have known I was going to miss four weeks after that, I probably would've missed."

Brett Deledio's calf injury is set to rule the influential Richmond midfielder out for another two matches.

"The good thing about Brett is he's probably flat on the inside [but] you wouldn't know on the outside," Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said.

"He's got a bit of FOMO disease - fear of missing out.

"He's texting the players constantly on the weekend finding out what's going on, which just shows his love of the game, his love of the club."

Brett Deledio is being carefully managed by the Tigers' fitness staff after developing soreness in his problematic Achilles tendon.

Brett Deledio opens up about a frustrating 2014 that he says left him angry and searching for answers.

"I was angry, to be honest, when you're losing and you can't do anything," Deledio told Richmond's website.

"You're asking questions [like] what's going wrong and how can I help with not only myself sitting on the sidelines but Rancey and Ivan sitting there as well.

"I just felt so bad for Cotchy (skipper Trent Cotchin). He was getting absolutely mauled week in, week out by these taggers, and I couldn't do a thing about it to help him apart from pat him on the back after the game."

Steven Morris has been promoted to Richmond's five-man leadership group for 2015.

Morris joins captain Trent Cotchin, Troy Chaplin, Ivan Maric and Brett Deledio in the group, with the retired Daniel Jackson making way.

"This group was decided upon by the players, and it is an acknowledgement of the important role they play in driving standards and communications between the playing group and the rest of the club," Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said.

"We are developing and driving leadership across our entire playing group."

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has admits that Brett Deledio has a nagging Achilles tendon injury, and not an ankle as first thought.

"He's had it (the problem) for a number of years," Hardwick told Fairfax Radio.

"It 'grumbles' at various stages and ... it normally grumbles during the pre-season so we can manage it a little bit.

"But unfortunately it's happened during the season this year."

Brett Deledio's current record of 140-consecutive games played will come to an end after the midfielder revealed to Triple M radio that he was unlikely to take his place in the side this week due to an ankle complaint.

Jack Riewoldt and Dylan Grimes are dropped from Richmond's 2014 leadership group to be headed by Trent Cotchin.

Brett Deledio is again vice-captain with ruckman Ivan Maric and 2013 best and fairest winner Dan Jackson also voted into the group.

Former Port Adelaide defender Troy Chaplin is the new addition in his second season as a Tiger.

"Given the improved maturity of the team, we believe a five-player leadership group is a sufficient representation of the playing list," Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said.

"We are proud of the way Trent embraced the captaincy in his first year, and we're confident he will continue to be a strong leader on and off the field, along with Brett as vice-captain."

After coming under scrutiny for his average form, Brett Deledio hits back at his critics with 32 disposals in a 41-point win against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

"You definitely hear it, there's no doubt about that," Deledio said of his critics.

"It's hard … you've got to be careful not to bite back because that's what they're looking for.

"I've had terrific support from 'Dimma' (Damien Hardwick) and internally from the playing group and assistant coaches, my family's been great support; I worry about what they think of me and not what the outside world does."

Brett Deledio says teammate Trent Cotchin will lead Richmond to their next premiership after he was named skipper on Friday.

"I texted him last night and said: 'Look mate, if you're going to be captain I'll back you the whole way and I believe you'll be the one to lead us to our next flag'. I said that to him and I'll say it here today," Deledio said.

"I back Trent to the hilt with what he can do for this club."

Outgoing Tigers skipper Chris Newman says Trent Cotchin isn't a certainty to take over, but he's in the mix.

"Anyone of the boys in our leadership group could step into my shoes and lead the club forward," Newman said.

"'Cotchy' is certainly one of those; he leads naturally no doubt. Brett Deledio is another one who'd be keen to take that position too.

"But I think any of those boys could quite easily fill my shoes but not only do that but do a better job than I did."

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick says midfielder Brett Deledio has stepped up and is now among the league's best after improving his contested ball work.

"His contested ball work has come on in leaps and bounds," Hardwick said.

"That was probably the one area of his game that I thought needed work but he's just been enormous in that area this year. He's become an elite player of the competition."

Richmond midfielder Brett Deledio will remain with the Tigers until at least the end of 2017 after signing a five-year deal.

"I'm rapt to have signed up. It really was the deal I was looking for, and it pretty much makes me a Tiger for life now," Deledio said.

"It just shows the faith I have in the club and the direction we're heading under 'Dimma' (coach Damien Hardwick), and I'm just really looking forward to hopefully creating something special.

"We're starting to build a good group, and hopefully we can get the success that I think the club deserves."

Richmond will take a conservative approach to Brett Deledio's hamstring injury, limiting him to one NAB Cup hit-out.

"We wanted Brett to get through two weeks of solid training before a major hit-out," Richmond's elite performance manager Matt Hornsby said.

"At this time of the year, we can afford to be more conservative. The volume of work he has done in the pre-season means that he won't be hindered when the regular season starts."

Bryce Gibbs and Brett Deledio tell the Herald Sun that they will not be entertaining any offers to move from their clubs.

"I'd sign a deal tomorrow if it was the right one," Gibbs said.

"I'm not going to say, 'Put it off until the end of the year' or 'Let's sign it tomorrow', but I'm happy where I am. When the terms and conditions are met by both parties and everyone is happy I'll sign and whenever that is I'm not too sure."

Like Gibbs, Deledio also says he is happy being at his club, Richmond.

"I love the place. They've always been really good to me and I'm hoping to have it all sorted out in the not-too-distant future, but these things take time and I can't expect it to be rushed," Deledio said.

"If something comes up and it's right to go, then we'll be right to go. It's definitely not the case that I want to wait until the end of the season to get it done. It's all about getting the right deal and making sure everything is done right."

Richmond president Gary March is confident Brett Deledio's contract will be sorted out soon.

"Brett has been a great player for the club in the past and we obviously want that to be the case into the future," March said.

"He wants to play finals and there isn't one person at Tigerland who doesn't feel the same way. We are all working towards making that happen."

Richmond star Brett Deledio has become the youngest life member in the Richmond Football Club's history after reaching 150 AFL games in round 24 at just 24 years and 129 days.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick says Brett Deledio has been earmarked for more time in the midfield in 2012.

"With the players who we've brought in - with the addition of Steven Morris, Brandon Ellis has come in there and we've got Bachar Houli and Matty Dea - we probably think Brett will play more midfield next year than he has previously," Hardwick said.

"But the challenge is well and truly there. He would like to play midfield, and he's going to get his opportunity, but he needs to show that he's capable of playing with Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Nathan Foley and the players we've got in there."

Tiger Brett Deledio says he doesn't mind if the club finishes ninth again in 2011.

"I'm not too fussed ... we started off the year pretty well, we had a bit of a lull, but we've finished off the year really well,'' Deledio said.

"The club is healthy, but in terms of ninth spot, unless you're inside the eight you don't tend to look at the ladder too much. We are tracking along nicely, but there are still plenty of areas for improvement and that's something for us to take forward.''

Richmond playmaker Brett Deledio says he could play a role similar to Hawthorn superstar Luke Hodge.

"It depends what Damien sees for me in the future for me whether I go back in the midfield," Deledio said.

"I suppose him (Hardwick) coming from Hawthorn, I could play a similar sort of role to Luke Hodge where he goes back, goes into the midfield and goes forward as well."

Midfielder Brett Deledio has beaten Daniel Jackson and skipper Chris Newman to win his second successive Jack Dyer Medal as Richmond's best and fairest.

Deledio becomes the youngest back-to-back winner at the club since Kevin Bartlett in 1967-68 and the youngest in the AFL since Michael Voss at Brisbane in 1995-96.

Richmond best and fairest winner Brett Deledio will stay a Tiger until the end of 2012.

"Brett is an integral part of the future of our club and we are excited that he has committed to Richmond through to the end of 2012," Richmond's general manager of football Craig Cameron said.

"Brett has developed both as a player and as a leader at Richmond in recent times and we look forward to seeing his potential grow over the coming years."

Tiger Brett Deledio says he was nearly banished to the VFL by caretaker coach Jade Rawlings following his indifferent approach to his footy.

"I had weaknesses that needed addressing and if I didn't address them I would have been representing Coburg. I just wasn't being accountable," he said.

"Jade said if I wasn't prepared to do it, I would be out of the side, and I very nearly was.

"I guess it was the kick up the arse I needed. It has come pretty easy, and I hadn't really been told off about that sort of thing, or hadn't been threatened with representing Coburg, not that playing there would be a bad thing, by the way.

"But it really would have dinted the pride. It was the best thing for me.

"I am not saying I have got it nailed. I have got plenty of things to work on, but for Jade to be honest, and the leadership group to be honest with me, was fantastic."

Jack Dyer Medallist Brett Deledio was about to be dropped, Richmond coach Jade Rawlings has revealed.

"We put it pretty squarely to him before the Crows game up on the Gold Coast that he needed to lift in a couple of areas," Rawlings said.

"He's been able to address the areas - not just the contested possessions - of what we think will make him a better leader, a better player and help this footy club move forward."

Brett Deledio has admitted he doesn't deserve any "pats on the back" for his form this season.

On the eve of his 100th AFL game this Sunday against North Melbourne, Deledio said he was aware his consistency remained an issue.

"I am still inconsistent, I know that, I don't expect to get any pats on the back, I haven't done anything this year," Deledio said.

"The side has been a bit inconsistent, or very inconsistent, as well, it's something we're improving on and I'm trying to improve on myself.

"I am trying to take as many steps forward as I can every week. As a team we're trying to improve and I'm doing the same myself."

Brett Deledio says he 'absolutely' wants Richmond to offer Ben Cousins a new contract for 2010.

"Ben's been fantastic. I can't speak highly enough of him," Deledio said.

"I never realised how much of a team player Ben was until you witness it first-hand.

"I haven't seen anyone drive as much to help out another teammate as he has, and to see his work rate on game day is phenomenal."

Brett Deledio looked ready to explode as Liam Picken shoved him on the edge of the centre square throughout Friday night.

For much of the game, Picken delivered short, sharp forearm jolts - not enough to hurt or injure, but definitely enough to infuriate - and knocked one of the game's top playmakers off balance.

"I don't really notice it during the game. I just try to concentrate on the match. I don't worry about the niggle of games too much," Picken said.

"It happens in games, and opponents give it back to you. And that's fair enough.

"All the boys help me out during the game, which is great for me. I just want to keep playing my role so I can stay in the team, and hopefully we can get better.

"The ball bounced my way. It was just good to shut down whoever I had to."

Bulldog Liam Picken's match-day report for striking Brett Deledio has been dismissed.

Richmond will recall Matthew Richardson, Brett Deledio, Nathan Foley and Ben Cousins for Friday night's final warm-up.

Richmond will rest superstars Matthew Richardson, Brett Deledio and Ben Cousins from Friday's NAB Challenge match against St Kilda.