Sidelined for more than three months with a hamstring injury, first-year Tiger Harry Armstrong made his much-anticipated return to the AFL in Richmond’s defeat to the Gold Coast Suns over the weekend.

The 18-year-old showed promise against experienced Suns defender Sam Collins, finishing with a goal to his name.

Coach Adem Yze said the young forward will take learnings from playing against some of the best defenders in the competition.

“He kicked a goal and had a couple of other shots. He hadn’t played for 16 weeks, so we wanted to get him back to AFL level as quickly as we could,” Yze said.

“Sam Collins is a bloody good defender, and he is going to come up against some good defenders over the next three games as well.

“He will get his opportunity to hit the scoreboard, but at the same time, he will learn from when he is getting beaten.”

09:39

Round 21: Yze Post-Match

Hear from Adem Yze after the Tigers' loss to Gold Coast.

Armstrong first returned from injury through the VFL in the side's Round 18 clash with Werribee, where he finished the game with 11 disposals, two goals and two tackles.

Quickly finding form after a long stint away from footy, Yze was impressed with Armstrong’s ability to keep competing and creating contests in his showing against the Suns.  

“I thought he worked really hard and kept jumping at the footy right until the end,” Yze said.  

“To belong on an AFL field, it isn’t just to play well, it’s to learn from when you are getting beaten against good defenders.

“He will get a clear understanding of what it takes to be a quality forward in this comp...he will do that and learn from it.”

00:47

Round 21: Armstrong by name, strong by nature

Harry Armstrong shrugs off Mac Andrew with brute strength before finally drilling Richmond’s first goal after the main break.

Yze also held high praise for first-year player Jonty Faull, who was subbed from the game with a knee injury.

Faull has been a mainstay for the side, having played in 16 of the 21 games this season.

Despite only having played limited minutes together, Yze said he is looking forward to what Faull and Armstrong can accomplish together in the seasons to come.

“They have played five minutes together, Harry and Jonty, and we can see those two being pillars of our footy club for a long time, and they aren’t going to be able to do that until next year now,” Yze said.

“It’s a silver lining, when they do play a lot of footy together, they are going to form a great combination for us.”