It’s a long way from Pinjarra to Punt Road, so you could excuse Richmond’s second selection in the recent AFL National Draft, Kamdyn McIntosh, for being a little homesick in the initial stages of his AFL journey, so far from his WA home town.

McIntosh, however, is thriving at Tigerland . . .

“I’m loving life over here in Melbourne,” he said on SEN.

“I always wanted to live over here in Melbourne, so now it’s a big dream come true for me. 

Richmond’s really made me feel welcome to the Club . . .

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“It still hadn’t hit me when I was in Cairns for those nine days (on the Club’s pre-season camp) that I was a part of the Club.  But being in the second week back at training now, using the facilities and all that, it’s started to hit me now that I’m actually playing with these boys that I once idolised.”

In his short time with Richmond, McIntosh has been impressed with the camaraderie within the playing group.

“All the boys really gel well together as a team,” he said.

“Off the field, they’re always catching up with each other, going out for dinner and things like that.  They’re good mates who really enjoy catching up . . .”

From a pure football perspective, the talented, versatile teenager, who broke into senior ranks at his WAFL club Peel Thunder this year, already has a young role model to follow at Tigerland.

“Brandon Ellis is one of the fittest in the team at the moment, winning the 2km time trials and things like that.  He’s really focusing hard on his footy,” McIntosh said.

“But there are other players, like Trent Cotchin, with the way he goes about his game and, on training, how he’s always hitting his targets . . .”