Adversity can be one of life’s greatest teachers.

Unfortunately for Richmond’s Josh Smillie, injury setbacks have stalled the start of his career, but he won’t let his struggles define him.

The 19-year-old remains as determined as ever to earn his way onto an AFL field.

“I've been eager for that (an AFL debut) ever since I got to the Club, and it's been a dream since I was a kid,” Smillie told Richmond Media.

“I think people forget that, with all these issues that have happened with my body, I'm the one that cops it the most and I'm the one that wants to play.

“I think about it pretty much every day...it's just ticking the little boxes just to get there, making sure I'm doing everything right, and the time will come, so it's exciting.”

After undergoing quad surgery late last year, along with only being able to play four VFL games last season due to injury, the midfielder reflected on the challenges he faced during the course of his recovery journey.

“I had some troubles with the quad towards the end of last year and still managed to do a lot of training throughout the pre-season, and I was just pulling up a bit sore from the training sessions, so I went and got a scan,” Smillie said.

“(The scan) found that (there was) a bit of an issue in the quad tendon, and the Club thought it was the best idea to get surgery, which I did.

“I worked really hard in my recovery phase for the next two-to-three months. I learned a lot throughout the periods that I was stuck in my room for two weeks. I couldn't really do much, and so that's why I (was) just staying positive every day.”

Despite his early hardships, he has attacked his recovery with resilience and has kept a positive mindset, hoping that the procedure will set him up for long-term success.

Since joining Richmond, Smillie expressed his gratitude towards the Club for providing him with the opportunity and supporting him throughout the beginning of his career. 

“Just the support between these four walls has been unbelievable towards me and my family,” Smillie said.

“It's obviously a dream job. I've dreamed of this job ever since I was a kid, so just very lucky to be where I am today.

“There’s been some tough times along the way. It's a hurdle, there's a lot of ups and downs, but I've just tried to remain positive as much as I can.

“There are great people at this Club and people that really care for me, so I'm just trying to do everything right to put me in good stead for hopefully years to come.”

Smillie praised Development Coach Jack Ziebell, along with the team’s senior players, for their guidance throughout his journey, helping him develop the qualities needed to compete at the elite level.

“I think for me, Jack Ziebell's been a bit of a father figure,” Smillie admitted.

“The 18 months I've been at the Club, he's sort of taken me under his wing, and I love learning from him the football side of things, but also outside of football, how to become a better person.

“Then I've got people like Dion Prestia and Tim Taranto who are obviously great players of the game and great people as well.

“I spend a lot of time trying to pick their brains here at the Club, and also spend a bit of time with them outside of footy, which has been awesome for me.”

Smillie was selected by Richmond with the seventh overall pick in the 2024 AFL draft, alongside seven other Tigers in the same draft class.

The young Tiger brigade have either grown up playing football with or against each other, creating bonds that Smillie said transcend beyond the game.  

“I think we'll look back at this in years to come and just how privileged it is that we all come through the system at the same time together,” he said.

“I think we've formed very close connections and friendships that hopefully last for life, so it's been great.”  

Speaking last week, Adem Yze reassured his full support for Smillie, with hopes that when he does return from injury, his full potential will be on display.

“We want to make sure when he does come in he doesn’t have any more setbacks, but we can’t wait to get him back out there," Yze said. 

“I think most young lads with high talent would get a bit jealous and frustrated, and that’s understandable. He’s a highly driven kid, and he wants to help our footy Club to bounce back as quick as we can.

“We’re similar, we can’t wait to get him out there, but we’ve got to temper that with the fact that we understand his body, he is still growing, and we have a program in place.

“He’s in a good spot mentally. Now we’ve just got to get him physically into a good spot to play.”