Opportunity can often present itself in the strangest of ways.

For Richmond footballer James Trezise, all it took was a single conversation, and a teammate who believed in him to change his trajectory forever. 

Trezise grew up in Berwick, Victoria, where he played school footy for St Francis Xavier College, before joining Tooradin-Dalmore Football Club in the West Gippsland competition.

Here, he played alongside former Brisbane Lions player, Blake Grewar, who immediately recognised Trezise’s talent and resolved to do something about it.

The Conversation

“When we were training together, I could tell that he was unbelievably athletic,” Grewar told Richmond Media.

“During game day, he was very selfless and was a very good team player, and I just thought he never really made mistakes. He always did the simple things well.

“I had a conversation with Morro [Steve Morris], and I thought Trezise and Hilly would be deserving of an opportunity to come down to Richmond and train and just see how they go.

“I don’t know whether it was lucky or not, but Morro and I had a pretty good relationship at the time, and it was pretty easy.

“He trusted me, so it worked out well that Richmond was able to give him an opportunity, and James took it with both hands.”

Taking A Chance

Great Richmond man and former Assistant Coach, Morris, detailed his side of the conversation with Grewar and how it led him to take a chance on a young Trezise.

“It was definitely the conversation that I had with Blake. He said there was this young kid with long hair, running around at Tooradin,” Morris said.

“Blake had obviously been on an AFL list at the Brisbane Lions, and he said that he was very confident that he [Trezise] was an AFL player. Blake turned out to be a pretty good judge in this instance.

“Ollie Grant [Richmond Victorian Recruiting Manager] and I sat through some vision, and when we were watching him, he didn’t dominate any games, but he had attributes that stood out, that we really loved in his game.

“We were very quick to see that at VFL level, throughout the pre-season.”

After just one year of senior footy at Tooradin and then eight games with the VFL Tigers, Richmond acquired Trezise in the 2023 mid-season rookie draft with the 13^th overall pick.

Upon his arrival at the Swinburne Centre, he was eager to prove to himself that he belonged in the jumper. Wasting no time, Trezise had a remarkable 2023 campaign, earning the Guinane Medal for Richmond’s VFL Best and Fairest.

“He had a great year in 2023. I thought pretty early on that he had the hands and the touch that were required to take his game to the next level, as well as his vertical leap and athleticism,” Morris said.  

“I’ve always loved working with Jimmy. He is a beautiful kid who comes from a great family, and I’ve really enjoyed working with him.”

A Dream Turned Reality

At first, the prospect of playing AFL football wasn’t on Trezise’s radar. Growing up, he was much smaller than his classmates and mainly kept to playing basketball.

“When I was going through my junior years, I was quite small, so I was smaller than everyone else,” Trezise said.

“I was just playing (footy), because my mates were playing.

“I played basketball with them, and their dad was the coach, so I kind of just said, 'Oh, why not? I'll go for a run', and honestly, I didn't really have that thought (of playing AFL) until I started playing seniors and even then, not really.

“The main thought was probably when I played VFL, but even then, not really, to be honest.”

Trezise enjoyed a junior career with the Berwick Football Club before joining the West Gippsland League, where he was starting to gain attention.

“I played two years of under 18s, and then obviously COVID hit, so we weren't able to play footy,” Trezise said. 

“After that, I played one year of senior footy, and we won the grand final. I think it was a 50-year drought, so it was pretty cool.

“I only played one year of senior footy and then ended up getting invited to Richmond VFL, and then the rest just happened.”

Having strung several good games together with Tooradin, it was then that Grewar made the important call, one that Trezise is forever grateful for.

“I remember he said, ‘I'll do it, I'll do it, I know Steve Morris,’ and I was like, ‘oh yeah'. I didn't really believe him at first,” said Trezise, explaining his conversation with Grewar.

“A month or two later, he's like, ‘Oh mate, I've got you a tryout at Richmond. I think you deserve it.’

“I thought it was pretty cool that he went to that extent to even just reach out and do that for me, so I was pretty happy.”

On the back of his VFL Best and Fairest season, Trezise earned his AFL debut selection in Round 24 of the 2023 season, alongside teammate and now good friend Tom Brown.

Despite a team defeat on debut, Trezise impressed by accumulating 17 touches, five tackles and three marks, along with realising his AFL dream.

Trezise reflected on his debut year at Richmond and how critical it was to his journey. 

“Just that whole year happened so quickly, going from playing local footy to getting a VFL contract and then getting drafted midway through the year, so I didn't even think I was going to get a game,” Trezise said.

“And then to even pole high in the VFL, so that was pretty surreal.

“It was all crazy, even just to get a game with Brownie (Tom Brown), in Round 24 was just an unbelievable experience.”

Since then, Trezise has gone on to play 24 games for Richmond, including 16 appearances last season, the most in a single season of his career to date.

The 23-year-old played in all five wins in 2025, averaging 13 disposals, two tackles and finished the year with three goals, despite playing the role of a defensive wingman.

“I feel heaps more confident, it's always good to get more games under the belt, because the more games you get, the more confident you start to feel,” he said.

“The speed of the game, and the game knowledge and where to put yourself in the running pattern, so just getting more games under my belt, but not just me, but for the younger boys as well, will help us for the future.”

Having settled into the role across half back and on the wing, Trezise vows to continue improving in 2026. His ambition to take to the field in the Round 1 clash with Carlton is at the forefront of his focus.

“I thought I’ve had a pretty good pre-season,” Trezise said.

“I’ve tracked well and trained most of the pre-season, which has been good. I’ve been swinging between the wing and halfback as well.

“I have a few goals, obviously, trying to play Round 1 and just getting the best out of myself this year, in those positions.”

In addition to his own development, Trezise was encouraged by what he has seen out of his younger teammates who have come into the fold, also looking to prove that they belong at the elite level.

“All the new recruits have fitted in seamlessly, and they've been going very well,” Trezise said.

“I've been really impressed with Sam Cumming, he's just come in, and it’s like he's already played a whole season, so he's been going really well.

“Sam Grlj as well, he's showing his strengths, his speed and explosiveness off half back.

“All the boys have fit in really well, and we all love having them here.”

With Round 1 looming, all eyes will be on the first team selection of the year, deciding who will run out to take on Carlton at the MCG next Thursday.

Trezise’s former mentor, Morris, believes that the youngster has what it takes to be the next man up and become a dominant force for Richmond.

“I think he continues to improve, but the challenge for him is to really get to work and work hard on his game, to be able to take it to the next level and become a dominant AFL player," Morris said.

“We haven’t seen him do that just yet, but I certainly know that he is capable of it.”