Richmond has signed last year’s Western Jets Captain and Vic Metro Co-Captain, Tom Burton, as an SSP signing following a pre-season with the Club.

Burton averaged 29.6 disposals across 12 matches for the Western Jets in the Coates Talent League to be named in the Team of the Year and as the Jets Best and Fairest.

The 178cm Point Cook product ranked in the top five at the Draft Combine for 20m sprint with a 2.92 second time and ran a 6.24 in the 2km time trial. 

Richmond National Recruiting Manager, Rhy Gieschen, commended Burton’s ability to train strongly across the summer after the difficulty of being overlooked in the draft.

“It can be really difficult to miss out on the draft for a player such as Tom, who has come through the talent pathways and squads. To his credit, when given the opportunity to train as an SSP, he has worked extremely hard and continued to develop his game,” Gieschen said.

“We love Tom’s running ability, with his mix of high-end speed and endurance, he continues to add some real running power to our squad.

“He showcased this by coming second in our Bronco test post-Christmas and backed it up with some high running numbers on the weekend against Casey. 

“We see Tom being versatile, as he showcased his ability to play as a midfielder in the Coates Talent League last year, and has been training the majority of this pre-season as a forward, and was able to impact the VFL game on the weekend in both of these roles.

“We are thrilled to welcome Tom and his family officially to Richmond and cannot wait to watch him on his journey.”

Gieschen added thanks to Marcus Krasnadamskis and Boston Dowling for their efforts during the SSP trial period.

“Both players attacked the program with great energy and enthusiasm and can be proud of the way they conducted themselves throughout, making it a difficult decision,” he said.