Two-time Jack Dyer Medallist, Tim Taranto, has given his nod of approval to several young Tigers pushing for a midfield spot.

The 28-year-old has been a consistently excellent performer in the midfield, which was evident by his 20 Brownlow Medal votes last season.

A theme of the pre-season has been the injection of youth in the midfield to help complement the likes of Taranto, Jacob Hopper, Dion Prestia and Jack Ross, with Taranto highlighting the players that have impressed him most throughout summer training.

“I think Sam Lalor and Sam Cumming,” Taranto said.

“He (Cumming) hasn’t put a foot wrong, to be honest. Taj Hotton is a young fella who is also going really well.

“Kane McAuliffe has had a great pre-season. I think competition for spots is good. I think it’s going to help us in the long run.

“We have some guys in there now who are really pushing. A couple of these new kids are going to be really special players, and there is competition for spots now, which is going to be good for everyone. I think the midfield is going to get a lot better.”

The new breed of Tiger forwards have been equally impressive, with Taranto encouraging second-year players Jonty Faull and Harry Armstrong to take their games to another level in 2026.

“Our key forwards who are young fellas have got another year under their belt,” Taranto said.

“Jonty and Harry Armstrong have been great. If they continue to develop and stay on the park, we are going to be a lot more exciting to watch.”

Now entering his fourth season at Richmond, Taranto is open to the idea of playing more minutes in the forward line. Taranto kicked 15 goals last year, the second-most of his career, behind the 19 he booted in his first season with the Tigers.

“I want to work on my running, and I want to work on my clearance work, my kicking, hands, marking, literally everything,” he said.

“Trying to find the balance of playing mid and then maybe even going forward as well.

“It’ll be a different year in some capacity, maybe rotating forward and getting the young fellas in there (the midfield) more and a bit of pace through the midfield, which will be good for us, and hopefully I can go forward and kick a few goals.”

As Richmond continues its exciting journey back up the ladder, Taranto has embraced stepping into a leadership role to help fast-track his teammates’ development.

“A lot of young kids, but they are full of talent and have been showing their stuff, which has been good,” Taranto said.

“I’ve got to sit back and watch them go to work, which has been fun. I’m 28, so I don’t feel too old, but amongst the young boys, it certainly is a bit older, but I’m enjoying that responsibility, showing them how to do things, how to train, and how to lead.

“They certainly keep the place fun and energetic.”