Richmond duo Mykelti Lefau and Maurice Rioli Jnr have committed their futures to Richmond, putting pen to paper on fresh two-year contract extensions.
The new deals will see both players remain at the Swinburne Centre until at least the end of 2026.
Lefau, 26, made a huge impact in his debut season for the Club, booting 14 goals from 10 games before suffering a season-ending knee injury in Round 13.
The 195cm talent earned his place on the list in February via the Supplementary Selection Period after being invited to train following strong form with the Club’s VFL team.
Lefau had previously played for St Kilda City in the Southern Football League and Casey’s VFL team, he has impressed with his strong marking ability, athleticism and power, as well as accurate goal kicking.
The New Zealand born popular figure had kicked multiple goals for the fifth time in a game this season before suffering his knee injury in the final quarter of the away loss to Geelong.
Rioli Jnr, 21, was similarly in strong form before a significant ankle injury in Round 10 saw him miss close to three months. He has returned to action across the past two VFL matches.
The speedy forward kicked seven goals and averaged three tackles per game across his eight matches this year, helping the team with his outstanding pressure on the ball carrier.
Rioli had a career-high 17 disposals and six tackles in the Round 4 win against Sydney, while his 14 disposals, two goal effort against Melbourne on Anzac Day Eve was also a standout game.
The second-generation Tiger has played 35 games for Richmond since joining the Club as a father son selection in the 2020 AFL Draft.
Richmond General Manager, Football Talent Blair Hartley said it was pleasing to have Lefau and Rioli further committed to the Club.
“Mykelti and Maurice have exciting skillsets and showed this year that they make us a better team,” he said.
“Maurice has worked hard on his game across his four years with us and should take great confidence into next year from the form he was able to produce when fit and firing.
“For Mykelti his contract is great reward for the hard work he has put in behind the scenes since joining our AFL program.
“We have great faith he will return fitter and stronger in 2025, and we are looking forward to having his unique versatility back in our team.
“Both players have great upside in their game, and we are delighted that we will see more of them over the coming years.”