The strength of the team relies on each member playing their role. 

For injured Richmond captain Toby Nankervis, that is exactly what he expects of the next man up who pulls on the yellow and black jumper.

Despite the Club’s recent string of injury setbacks, the expectation of whoever takes to the field remains the same.

“It’s hard not being out there for me, since I've been captain, I haven't missed too much footy, so it is hard watching on,” Nankervis told SEN.

“With all the uncontrollable stuff like the injuries and all that, for me it's about taking that out of it. When you put the jumper on, there's an expectation that you play within our system, and there's a responsibility.

“It doesn't matter who puts it on, they carry that responsibility, and we've been really strong on that.”

As the Tigers look ahead to Sunday's clash with the Saints, Nankervis is looking forward to another opportunity for the young team to grow together.

“I hope [the fans] just come and see the way we want to play,” Nankervis said.

“We want to play a really consistent brand of footy for four quarters. Clearly, this season we haven't been up to that, but in patches I think we've been able to match it with the best teams, so hopefully we can build on that as the season progresses.

“Some of the guys that have come in, they're young kids, but to me they're men. Kane McAuliffe's 20 years old, and he's as fit and strong as anyone. Sam Grlj comes in, and Sam Lalor, they're guys that can match it with the best players in the comp.

“They're definitely not patient, and they're in a hurry to get some success, and hopefully we're going that way.”

With just one win so far in Richmond’s 2026 campaign, the three-time premiership player said the process remains the same, regardless of the results.

“The honest answer is probably not a lot changes. Obviously, after a game, there's no better feeling than a win, I'm not going to shy away from that,” Nankervis said.

“That's why we play, obviously, and it's great for the boys to get a taste of that [against West Coast], but come Monday and Tuesday, it's purely about the process of how we want to play in our system.

“You sort of let that result go pretty quick because if you get too far ahead of yourself or too flat with a loss, you're kidding yourself, and the game is too hard to ride those emotions.”