Richmond National Recruiting Manager, Rhy Gieschen, has broken down why the Tigers selected Sam Cumming and Sam Grlj in the first round of Wednesday’s AFL Draft.
A need for speed was addressed, with both players possessing strong pace and showcasing impressive form throughout the past season.
Cumming was Richmond’s first selection at pick seven, with the bull at a gate midfielder/forward described as a strong tackler and clearance player, who is also a difficult forward match-up thanks to his contested marking ability.
Gieschen believes Cumming will greatly complement the Tigers’ current crop of youngsters.
“He is a prototypical mid. He is strong, combative, powerful, and we think he can go forward and have a real impact as well,” Gieschen said.
“We were really pleased to bring him in, and he complements those guys that we brought in last year, (Sam) Lalor, (Josh) Smillie, (Taj) Hotton, through that midfield/forward mix. A good result for us.
“He has been playing senior footy since he was 14, he came third in the senior best and fairest at 14 at Wentworth, which is an amazing effort. He has shown quality form at SANFL level and had the breakout game where he had 21 disposals and kicked three goals.”
Grlj is no stranger to the Swinburne Centre, as he played two VFL games for the Tigers in August.
He raised eyebrows at VFL level, collecting 18 disposals on debut against Gold Coast and another 15 disposals the following week against Sandringham.
Gieschen explained how Grlj’s VFL stint, along with his entire body of work, gave Richmond great confidence selecting him with the eighth pick.
“We really like Sam Grlj. He is a player we have watched for a long time now and we noticed late last season, in particular with Oakleigh (Chargers), he showed some quality form,” he said.
“The VFL form he showed gave us great confidence. He came into our program, fitted in well, our coaches loved him, the boys really loved him, and I think he really adds value to our mix.
“It was really good timing to bring him into our VFL program. He shone there, he played half back and played on some AFL players and really showcased what he can do. That filled us with confidence. We are pumped to bring in Sam Grlj.
“He gives us that bounce and run, we think he could start at halfback, he has got speed, lateral movement, and he ran a 5.55 on the 2k, which gave us great confidence that he can play back, he can play mid, he can play wing. We think he really fills that need for us.”
