Richmond Executive General Manager, Football Talent, Blair Hartley, has declared that the Club will focus on the AFL Draft, leaving the Trade Period as a "wait and see".

With the Tigers holding picks two and three in November's AFL Draft, Hartley admitted that the attention is on continuing to grow and invest in young talent at the Swinburne Centre.

"We feel like we've put ourselves in a good position to be at the front end of this draft. That's our focus for this year," Hartley told media on day one of the Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period.

"We're in the process of building our list. We want to get a look at what that looks like before we bury ourselves into trading.

"Trading is about trading for needs, and we're letting the dust settle on what we did last year, hopefully this year, then we will have a look at that (trading) in the future."

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'We've put ourselves in a good position to be at the front end of the draft' - Hartley

Richmond GM of Football Talent Blair Hartley spoke to the media this morning as the AFL trade period commences.

Hartley highlighted how important the Draft could be for the Club this year, after it produced eight exciting Tigers in 2024, which included Sam Lalor and Luke Trainor, who were both nominated for the 2025 AFL Rising Star award.

"We're excited by the work done last year to get those eight guys (draftees) through the door. We've been able to get a decent look at those guys (drafted) this year," he said.

"The draft is a unique one, given how compromised it is. So, to be at the front, gives us those options. We are still settling on our order, then we will decide what we do from there.

"There's plenty going on around us. It's a wait and see. I think we'll be open to anything."

The one change that will occur during the Trade Period will be the loss of key defender Tylar Young, who has nominated West Coast as his preferred home next season.

For Hartley, while it's a difficult loss, it's one Richmond supports.

"Disappointed to lose Tylar, he's a fantastic person, and he's worked so incredibly hard to get back from his knee. It's a credit to him," he said.

"He's probably looked at the depth of our key backs and looked at an opportunity at West Coast. While we are disappointed, we're proud of Tylar and we will support him in what's next."

The Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period commenced on Monday and will conclude on Wednesday, 15 October at 7.30pm (AEDT).