Sam Lloyd will be Richmond’s Homecoming Hero at Thursday night’s match against Carlton at the MCG.

The Tigers are set to pay tribute to Lloyd in the lead-up to the big Round 14 clash.

Lloyd will walk to the Punt Road end of the ground, where he’ll be greeted by the Tiger Army.

He’ll kick a ceremonial goal, then sign the football and present it to a Richmond fan in the crowd.

Highlights of Lloyd’s playing career with the Tigers also will be shown on the MCG’s big screens.

Sam Lloyd, a clever forward, was Richmond’s third pick (No. 66 overall) in the 2013 AFL national draft, recruited from VFL club Frankston where he had kicked 38 goals from 17 games that season.

Three years earlier (2010), while playing for Murray League club Deniliquin, Lloyd had booted more than 100 goals for the season.

Lloyd made his senior debut with the Tigers in Round 4 of the 2014 season against Collingwood at the MCG. He had 22 disposals, kicked three goals, and was one of the team’s best players.

With eight senior games all-up in 2014 and 10 goals, followed by 12 appearances and 13 goals in 2015, Lloyd was making solid progress at the game’s highest level.

It was the next season, however, that Lloyd produced his best football at Tigerland. He played all 22 games and kicked 35 goals (35.13).

The highlight of his season (and the team’s for that matter) came in a tight Round 8 encounter with Sydney at the MCG.

Richmond, having suffered six consecutive losses, was trailing by five points with just seconds remaining in the match.

The Tigers surged forward, and Lloyd marked a pass from teammate Ben Griffiths, about 45 metres out from goal at the Punt Road end of the ground on an angle.

As the final siren sounded, Lloyd coolly accepted the huge responsibility that had been placed on his shoulders.

His set shot sailed between the big sticks to give Richmond a stirring one-point win, much to the utter delight of teammates, coaches and the Tiger Army.

Lloyd couldn’t replicate his 2016 form over the course of his next couple of seasons with the Tigers, although he did win the Norm Goss Memorial Medal as best afield in the 2017 VFL grand final.

Richmond narrowly loss that premiership-decider against Port Melbourne, but Lloyd was brilliant in a midfield role, finishing the match with 35 disposals, nine clearances and 10 tackles.

He departed Punt Road at the end of the 2018 season, traded to the Western Bulldogs, where he subsequently spent a couple of years.

Sam Lloyd playing profile

Born: March 3, 1990

Height: 180cm

Playing weight: 83kg

Recruited to Richmond from: Frankston/Deniliquin

Guernsey number: No. 27

Games at Richmond (2014-2018): 57

Goals at Richmond: 69

Below is a list of Richmond's Homecoming Heroes since its inception in 2014...