Dion Prestia Biography

Tom Stewart is suspended for four matches by the AFL Tribunal after 45 minutes of evidence and 30 minutes of deliberation over his bump on Richmond's Dion Prestia that left the Tiger concussed.

"The bump was late. He (Prestia) was wide open, exposed and vulnerable. Stewart had sufficient time to see Prestia had not taken possession (of the ball)," Tribunal chair Jeff Gleeson said.

"He ran past the ball and made a conscious, albeit split-second, decision to bump Prestia at speed. The degree of carelessness was high. He breached his duty of care by some margin."

Dion Prestia will miss a few weeks after scans confirmed a hamstring tear suffered in Richmond's 2022 season opener to Carlton.

Dion Prestia signs a new deal with Richmond to remain at the club until the end of 2024.

"It's exciting times and I'm absolutely pumped to get another deal. I was lucky enough to get five years when I left Gold Coast at the end of '16, and the time has absolutely flown. There's been some good times and to go again was an absolute no-brainer," Prestia said.

"It wasn't if, it was when, I was going to re-sign. I was always going to say yes straight away. Pumped to get it done before the season starts."

Dion Prestia wins the Jack Dyer Medal as Richmond's best and fairest in their 2019 premiership year.

Prestia polled 91 votes, winning comfortably from clever half-forward Shane Edwards (79), who was acting captain for parts of this year, and integral defender Dylan Grimes (75).

"Premierships is what you play the game for. It was pretty cool getting over the line on the weekend, to go with the medal from 2017," an emotional Prestia said.

"To be a two-time premiership player at a footy club like Richmond is unbelievable. I'm pretty stoked to be up here, that's for sure. Hopefully I don't tear up here in the next few minutes."

A record nine players earned more than $1 million in 2017 as the rich got richer under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Lance Franklin is understood to have been one of the competition's highest-paid players last season, with Tom Boyd, Scott Pendlebury, Nathan Fyfe and then Gold Coast teammates Gary Ablett and Tom Lynch widely believed within industry circles to have also earned seven-figure salaries.

It is likely some of 2017's millionaires are on contracts wherein their average yearly salary is less than $1 million, but their deals were front- or back-ended last season to top seven figures. Sources identified Dayne Beams and Michael Hurley as players in this category.

Richmond captain Trent Cotchin and teammate Dion Prestia would also have been among the AFL's top earners in 2017.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick believes Dion Prestia form will continue to improve as the season progresses.

Prestia only began training twice a week in the last month, after arriving from the Gold Coast Suns with knee problems.

"The stats generally show if you have a full pre-season your season is generally consistent, and Dion didn't have that, so he's been trying to catch up and you're probably never going to do that throughout the course of an AFL season," Hardwick said.

"We know his best is going to be at the back-end of the season, (and) we're really excited with what he's going to bring."

Dion Prestia says his father is a strong supporter of the Demons and was encouraging him to choose Melbourne once he had decided to leave the Suns.

"He was asking me 'Is Melbourne a chance? Is Melbourne a chance?' But it was just the way it panned out really. Melbourne's midfield was already pretty set up already and they've got some good young players, and so does Richmond," Prestia said.

"We just felt that Richmond was a better fit at the time."

Dion Prestia becomes a Tiger after Richmond and Gold Coast reach a deal for the talented midfielder.

Richmond receives Prestia and pick No.24 while sending pick No.6 and their future second-round pick to Gold Coast.

Prestia has signed a five-year deal with the Tigers.

“We identified Dion earlier this year as a player that we wanted at our football club, he’s a power runner, highly competitive and impacts games significantly,” Richmond football manager Dan Richardson said.

“Dion’s management made it clear to us that he was keen to return to Victoria to be closer to his family, and we’re really pleased for our club that he chose Richmond as his preferred destination."

Dion Prestia officially nominates Richmond as his preferred destination.

"At 23 years of age, Dion has shown that he's both a quality player and person, and he would be a great addition to our list," Richmond football manager Dan Richardson said.

"The club will work with both the Gold Coast Suns and Dion's manager, Marty Pask, to come to a suitable trade arrangement, and will make no further comment until such time."

Dion Prestia officially tells Gold Coast that he wants a trade to Melbourne club.

"It's with a heavy heart that I inform you that it is my intention to return home to Melbourne during the trade period," Prestia said in a letter on his official Facebook page.

"The club has also been very clear with me and my manger that they expect an acceptable trade to be facilitated.

"I understand that, and I also want the club that I represented with pride on 95 occasions to be compensated adequately."

Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade concedes Dion Prestia is likely to leave the club at the end of the season.

"All the noise is that looks like it's going to happen," Eade said.

"But if that happens, that's fine, we'll just drive a hard bargain to be able to get compensation for him.

"We've spoken to him, he's sort of indicated family's a strong point - I suppose like (Patrick) Dangerfield when he went back to Geelong, that's a strong driver for him."

Dion Prestia nominates Richmond as his preferred club for 2017 and beyond.

Suns coach Rodney Eade says he is still unsure if Jaeger O'Meara and Dion Prestia will stay at the club.

"They're playing their cards pretty close to their chest at the moment," Eade said.

"Obviously those guys are going to make decisions on what they think is best for their future.

"From our point of view, we want them to stay and we've spoken to them about that.

"Hopefully they can see there is a very positive future."

Dion Prestia has played his last game for 2016 – and possibly his last in Suns colours.

Prestia will have surgery in Melbourne on Tuesday afternoon, with his knee injury worse than first thought.

The out-of-contract 23-year-old has been playing with pain for much of the season, but aggravated the problem in round 16 against the Brisbane Lions.

The recovery period is six weeks, ruling Prestia out of a return to action this year.

"He'll miss the rest of the year," Gold Coast football manager Marcus Ashcroft said.

"We thought it'd be touch and go, but with five weeks remaining, there's not enough time to come back.

"He's pushed through most of the year with what he's had."

Dion Prestia will head to Melbourne for minor knee surgery.

Prestia pulled up sore after Gold Coast's win over the Brisbane Lions and scans revealed he would need surgery.

"It appears he needs a minor clean up," Suns general manager of football operations Marcus Ashcroft said.

"We will send him down to see Julian Feller and will aim to get the surgery as soon as we can."

Gary Ablett wants Jaeger O'Meara and Dion Prestia to stay on the Gold Coast, but says he is putting no pressure on the out-of-contract duo to recommit.

"Obviously we want those two guys hanging around the football club," Ablett said.

"They're a big part of this football club, they're valued around this football club and they're important to our football side.

"I know for Jaeger it was about getting back and playing a few games first before they started talking contracts, and I don't know where it's at with Dion, but I'm sure the club is pushing hard, and hopefully we can get both of those guys locked away in the next month or so."

Gold Coast coach Rodney Eade is adamant his team's horror form won't deter star duo Jaeger O'Meara and Dion Prestia from re-signing.

The Suns have lost their past six games amidst a crippling injury run, and their falling crowds have also become a big talking point this year.

"Both (O'Meara and Prestia) have said the results at the moment won't influence their decision," Eade told Perth radio station 6PR.

"It's more about where they see their footy in the future.

"And we like to think we can paint a picture, because (if we had) our best side on the park, we'd be pretty competitive with most of the teams."

Dion Prestia holds firm in not opening contract talks with the Suns for at least another month.

"My manager and the club are constantly in talks. We agreed to hold them off at the start of the year, which we have, and I've just been trying to come back and play some good footy," Prestia said.

"I'm not there yet in my own expectations and form, so I'll continue to build that, and my manager will look after the contract talks with the club."

Dion Prestia says he will wait until the bye in mid-June before thinking about his next contract with the Suns.

"We'll see how I'm going personally and see how the club is going and then consider it after that," Prestia said.

Dion Prestia's manager Marty Pask says his client is no certainty to be at the Suns after his contract expires at the end of 2016.

"There’s always clubs that will always talk, and I'm not in the business of sharing that information," Pask said.

"You've got so much water to go under the bridge in 12 months in football. You've got to make an educated decision based around all the specifics."

However, Pask said Prestia had never entertained the idea of leaving the Suns during this summer.

"There's never been a thought in terms of this immediate period that he'd be traded," Pask said.

"Right now, his focus is getting his knee right."

Dion Prestia is unlikely to return this season after scans confirm a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee suffered during Gold Coast's loss against Collingwood.

"It is obviously an extremely disappointing setback for Dion. He has had a good start to the season and his leadership on and off the ground has grown enormously," Gold Coast general manager of football operations Marcus Ashcroft said.

David Swallow has won his first Gold Coast club champion award, edging out fellow vice-captains Tom Lynch and Dion Prestia in a thrilling count at the Sharks Event Centre.

Swallow is the first man to unseat captain Gary Ablett as the Suns' best and fairest in the club's four-year history.

Dion Prestia says he is happy with his decision to remain at Gold Coast until the end of 2016.

"There was always the temptation of going home to Melbourne," Prestia said.

"But I thought, 'I've already started here, I've already gone through hard times at the club, where we got smashed every week, and now we were coming into the phase of winning games' … I just thought there was no point leaving. You want to continue something you started."

Dion Prestia suffers a minor calf tear at training but is expected to be fit for the start of the premiership season.

"The scans revealed a grade one calf strain," general manager of football operations Marcus Ashcroft said.

"As a result we anticipate Dion will be on a modified training program for a couple of weeks and he should be in a position to return to full training before the end of the NAB Challenge."

Gary Ablett will remain Gold Coast's captain for a fourth straight season, while the Suns have elevated youngsters David Swallow, Dion Prestia and Tom Lynch into their leadership group.

Swallow, Prestia and Lynch will join Nathan Bock and Michael Rischitelli as vice captains.

"We have been really pleased with the way our playing group has evolved," Gold Coast coach Guy McKenna said.

"Our experienced guys, like Gary, Nathan and Michael, have had a huge task in not just establishing and growing our club but also our players, and for us now to be in a position to elevate some of our inaugural season debutants can be attributed to their great work."

Gary Ablett has kept his perfect record intact, being named as the Gold Coast Suns' club champion for the third straight year.

The star midfielder polled 260 votes to win from Dion Prestia (213) and Jaeger O'Meara (204) in front of a sold-out crowd at the Sharks Event Centre on the Gold Coast.

Queenslanders Rory Thompson (162) and Jarrod Harbrow (149) rounded out the top five.

Dion Prestia has re-signed with the Suns for a further three years, ending speculation of a possible return to Victoria.

The 20-year-old has inked a deal that will see him remain on the Gold Coast until at least the end of 2016.

"Dion's commitment demonstrates the confidence our players have in the direction of our football club and is an example of the belief they have that we are building something special on the Gold Coast," Suns list manager Scott Clayton said.

Gold Coast midfielder Dion Prestia grew up in a family of Melbourne fans, but hopes to leave them unhappy after Sunday's clash between the sides at the MCG.

"I think dad will probably be supporting the Dees on the weekend," Prestia said.

"Hopefully [I can disappoint him]. He's been used to disappointment lately, especially growing up.

"You always want to see the team you supported for 18 years have a win, but hopefully this week dad might be disappointed for another week."

Gold Coast midfielder Dion Prestia says he hopes coach Guy McKenna will stay on as coach of the club after 2012.

"I find Bluey (McKenna) really good, he's really approachable," Prestia said.

"All the boys that have come from different clubs have also said that he's really approachable compared to some of the other coaches in the League."

Gold Coast midfielder Dion Prestia has shed five kgs after being told not to return from his summer break overweight.

In November at the start of pre-season I did a fair bit of extra running and concentrated on the diet side of things just to lose those extra kilos," he said.

"I found I played a bit heavy last year. I thought I couldn't run across the ground but my strength was OK. I've kept my strength - I'm a little bit down from last year - but that's all right for me because I'd rather be a little bit lighter."

Dion Prestia makes his AFL debut for Gold Coast at the Gabba with 15 disposals (6 kicks and 9 handballs), a mark and 5 tackles in a 119-point loss to Carlton.