Richmond returned to the Swinburne Centre on Monday morning, fresh off its week-long camp in Yarrawonga, wasting no time jumping back into training. 

After a warm-up lap around the centre square, the group began training with a basic ABC handball and kicking drill.

Liam Fawcett was looking dangerous on foot, weaving through coaches who were emulating defenders, then nailing his kicks by lacing out his targets.  

Similarly, Jayden Short was moving well, showcasing his composure and poise with the ball in hand. Now in his 12th pre-season, the 29-year-old isn't showing any signs of slowing down, leading the new crop of Tigers with his voice and training standards. 

On the other side of the oval, Mykelti Lefau was moving well through a drill that required players to do 20-meter run-throughs while holding weights. Lefau was quick off the mark, showcasing his explosiveness, power and drive through the legs, setting himself up nicely for a strong pre-season campaign. 

Lefau recovered from his calf injury to play in the VFL Elimination Final in September. 

In his second week at the Club, Sam Cumming continued his good form, moving the ball cleanly by hand and by foot throughout skill exception drills. 

It wouldn't be pre-season without some high-intensity running drills, with the team participating in a block of 100-meter sprints up and down the field. 

Jasper Alger, Kane McAuliffe and Patrick Retschko were striding through the runs, keeping a tight group at the front of the pack. 

Off the back of his career-best season, key defender Ben Miller has picked up where he left off, looking extremely confident in a multi-kick drill, working the ball down both wings of the oval. 

The 25-year-old showed his composure when off-routing the ball as he would in defence, hitting up a strong lead by Tom Lynch as he laced it out into the attacking 50. 

By this time, the clouds had rolled over the Swinburne Centre, with the rain starting to pour in heavily, offering an opportunity for the players to work on their skills in wet conditions. 

Young gun, Taj Hotton, seemed to have no issues in the rain, scooping the ball up cleanly in a stoppage drill while weaving through defensive pressure in transition. 

Forwards, Jonty Faull and Lynch, were strong lead-up targets for whenever the ball came into the attacking 50, leading up with intent and purpose despite the wet and slippery conditions. 

With the sun begging to come out again, James Trezise shined, as he brought the pressure in a 9 vs 5 decision-making drill, taking a huge leaping intercept mark, setting the tone for the defenders.

Sam Lalor looked dominant in the 9 vs 5, commanding the ball through the middle of the designated area, not afraid to take on the defenders and break open the game for his teammates. 

By Wednesday, the summer weather finally arrived in Melbourne and the program was up and about.

Josh Smillie was all smiles as he completed his biking outside near the main group, with Tom Sims also looking strong through his rehab work.

Lalor’s enthusiasm was high, guiding the 2025 draftees through their paces, while Faull’s superboot stole the show, as the exciting forward was nailing goals from approximately 65 metres out. 

Jack Ross’ strength was on display during an offensive drill, as he slotted a clean goal from 45 out, after taking the ball on the run from Seth Campbell. Miller utilised his strength to pressure the forward group throughout the drill. 

All eyes turned to Hugo Ralphsmith as he impressed through traffic, offering elite agility and showing improvement in his ball anticipation.

Maurice Rioli and Ross embraced the ‘full noise’ mantra, clashing in a full-ground drill focused on decision-making, with the pair quickly bouncing to their feet after both solidly chasing the ball.

The hunger continued as Cumming and McAuliffe put in full-ground sprint efforts to receive the ball off the wing and stream into forward 50.

Noah Roberts-Thomson also stood out by applying strong pressure across the field, while Josh Gibcus remained composed with his pinpoint accurate kicks from half back.

A positive and strong session from the entire group saw Alger tackling with ferocity, Campbell and Tyler Sonsie battling across the wing, and Ross and Ralphsmith standing tall.

The players also got up and about for Jacob Hopper and Kaleb Smith, who had the boxing gloves on for some strength sessions on the sidelines.

Friday marked the end of a successful week on the track, with Short’s energy high as usual, leading the group through their warm ups.

But the highlight of the last working day of the week came when each of the four 2025 draftees families came to visit at the Swinburne Centre.

Sam Grlj, Cumming, Roberts-Thomson and Zane Peucker’s loved ones received a tour of the facilities, ate lunch at the Club, and got to see their boys in action amongst the veterans.

It didn’t take long for Grlj to start shining, with his pace around a full-ground drill, alongside Ross, impressing more than just his family.

Harry Armstrong stood tall in a tackling drill, taking down Seth Campbell in a friendly clash, while Peucker kept pace around the footy.

It was a wonderful way for each player to see a fresh side of their newest teammates, and it rounded out another important week of building on the track.