Richmond President John O'Rourke has reflected on the "enormous" growth in the AFL program this season, pointing to the solidification of coach Adem Yze in his role in taking the Club to the next level.
With five wins recorded, alongside nine debuts during the 2025 season, O'Rourke is confident the foundations laid this year will catapult Richmond upwards in the future.
"We've seen a lot of growth and development. There were moments in most weeks that we were fun to watch and exciting to watch," O'Rourke told Richmond Media.
"Credit to Adem in his second year of coaching. There was lots of transition in 2024, but this year, he grew into it, owned the team. It's a credit to him that the playing group, the coaches, the staff, are really united behind him the whole year.
"We take a lot of growth and positives out of it."
O'Rourke analysed the development away from the draftees and debutants, highlighting the level that the mid tier players have reached, in a season full of lessons.
"We came into the season with a very young, rejuvenated list, a lot of draftees and second and third year players that didn't have a lot of game time," he said.
"I'm just excited by the two and three year players that came on so much this year. Sam Banks, Tom Brown, Seth Campbell have had great development getting games under their belt."
Although the results didn't always reflect the change, the President noted the improvement of players who have cemented their spots as vital members of the team.
"You go further again to the next level in experienced and established players who are continuing to grow," O'Rourke said.
"Ben Miller had a fantastic year. Maurice Rioli has established himself as a player that's going to do amazing things for us. He's a fan-favourite for sure.
"Rhyan Mansell and Jack Ross continue to grow with 50+ games under their belt now. They're really established senior players."
Back to the beginning, O'Rourke knows how important it was to get genuine game time into the nine debutants, including last year's draftees of Sam Lalor, Luke Trainor, Harry Armstrong, Jasper Alger, Jonty Faull, Tom Sims and Taj Hotton.
"The draftees. I was excited to see them get game time. Injuries set back some of them, but it's exciting to see what may come next year with a full pre-season under their belts," he said.
"There's an enormous amount to look forward to.
"Josh Smillie comes in as almost a new recruit next year, Josh Gibcus, he will also be like a new recruit after almost two years out."
As for what's next, O'Rourke has urged the Tiger Army to continue their incredible support, with promise of even more improvement after a season of genuine growth.
"Our members and fans understand that it's a journey. We have to remain patient. There will be dips, but there's a hell of a lot to look forward to next year," he said.
