Nick Vlastuin was a most welcome addition to the Richmond line-up in last Saturday’s Round 5 clash with Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.

The star triple Tiger premiership defender, playing his first game of the season after recovering from a hamstring injury, was a major positive out of the team’s 19-point loss.

He had 21 disposals, a team-high seven rebound-50s. team-high 10 intercepts, five score involvements, 499 metres gained and took an equal game-high nine marks.

It was a performance that highlighted Vlastuin’s importance to the Tigers, and how much he’d been missed across the backline.

“I was a little bit nervous before the game, just kicking and all that, but it felt really good,” Vlastuin told Richmond Media in a post-match interview.

“Thought I ran alright, thought I went alright, and had more connection with “Funky” (Ben Miller), “Taz” (Robbie Tarrant) and Hugo (Ralphsmith).

“Haven’t played a lot of footy with them, so it’s good to have them out there.”