New Richmond defender, Robbie Tarrant, spoke to Matthew Richardson about his first few weeks as a Tiger.

Initial excitement

"It's been a big few weeks. I'm excited to get down and meet the boys and the staff and get stuck into it."

Tough decision to leave North Melbourne

"Really tough, I've been there for 14 years and have got really good relationships with the players and staff and supporters as well. To make the move across, although it's exciting to start fresh and meet new people, it's also a little bit sad to leave that part of my career behind. I've got amazing memories there, and I'm really thankful to the club for everything they've done for me over the 14 years and wish them all the best into the future."

How did the move come about?

"Finishing the year, I thought I'd be staying at North and then Blair (Hartley) got in touch with my manager and it just rolled from there. It happens a lot quicker than you think it would...I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into the next couple of years and seeing what we can do."

What excites you about coming to Richmond?

"Being a really successful team, especially over the last five years, I'm excited to learn how they go about things, learn a different game style, and learn off the other defenders down there. They've got some really good defenders that I think can help my game and try and take me to another level which I'm really excited about."

Looking forward to playing more games at the MCG

"We normally get the one game a year there, so it's an unbelievable opportunity to play there every second week, I'm really looking forward to getting out there...I'm really excited about that opportunity."

What will be your defensive role at Tigerland?

"I haven't got the detail of exactly what the role looks like, but I'll be down the defensive end and try and work in well with Grimes and Vlastuin and Balta and those guys. I'll try and play a role for the team and hopefully do it to a good level."

Introduction to new teammates

"I've been lucky that over the last week or two I've been able to come in and meet a few of the boys and start training. It's been a really good introduction, the boys have been really welcoming and made me feel really comfortable. We're getting some good numbers in and the boys are training really hard, so it's exciting to hopefully start pre-season and get all the boys back and get stuck into it."

Did you know any of the players personally before arriving at the Club?

"Not really, being around for a while, I've played on Jack (Riewoldt) most times we've played Richmond, so you play build little relationships, and I was drafted the same year as Trent. I'm looking forward to building those relationships over the next couple of years."

How does the body feel, do you think you can play longer than two years?

"I hope so. I love playing and I'm really motivated to improve as a player. My body feels really good, I think the last two years with having limited games, I missed 10 last year, and the limited season the year before, has probably helped me. Hopefully, that extends me on the backend of my career."