Richmond's young guns, Taj Hotton and Josh Smillie, are both working hard to get themselves back to footy. Coach Adem Yze spoke to The Agenda Setters on Wednesday night to provide an update on how the pair are progressing. 

Taj Hotton

“He is a highly talented forward/midfielder, similar to Shai Bolton with the same traits,” Yze said. 

“He can mark the footy, and he is so talented with the ball, some of the things he does when he is in traffic, you can’t coach it.

“He was just unfortunate to have a bit of a hot spot in his hip. He is running and back into our program now, so it won’t be too far away to get him back on the field.

“You just want to see those guys grow and develop on an AFL field, and that is my job. Right now it is unfortunate that they can’t do that, but when they do, it is going to be super exciting for our footy Club.”

Josh Smillie

“He is running at a high speed, so we just have to be really cautious with him,” Yze said. 

“Obviously, he had a bit of a hiccup with his quad again, but right now, he is progressing really nicely. We can't wait.

“He is not only a highly talented kid, but such a highly driven guy. He has been a leader at Vic Metro and captain of his own Under 18s team, so he has leadership qualities.

“We can’t wait for him to get out there. One, to get some reward for the effort that he is putting in. Two, we want the Tiger Army to see him playing at the ‘G, and we can’t wait for that.”