After two years in Texas pursuing a basketball dream, Richmond's newest Category B Rookie, 217cm Paddy Carr, is back where it all began, ready to launch his AFL career at Tigerland.

“It feels awesome. I still haven't processed it yet. I'm so glad to be here and ready to get to work,” Carr told Richmond Media.

“I grew up playing footy until I was around 14-ish, just before COVID happened, and then I got pushed into the whole basketball side of the world.

“I just started off doing all Vic [basketball], and then that led to one thing, and then I moved over to America to play college basketball.”

Although Carr hasn’t played competitive footy since his junior career with the Banyule Football Club, he said his time in the States has prepared him well for the challenge to come.

“I played up until I was 14 or 15, just before COVID, and then I gave it up to go down the whole basketball route and try and pursue that,” Carr told SEN.  

“Obviously, I was over in Texas for two years, and I loved it, and I just thought...watching footy and just begging to be out on the field again.

“I just wanted to come home and pursue my dream of playing footy. I basically live my life in the gym. It helps being blessed genetically with height and obviously a bit of size as well.

“Obviously, there's a lot of work to be done, but I think I'm ready for this work.”

Standing at 217cm, the Category B Rookie has become the tallest listed AFL player in history, an attribute that will hold him in good standing when he takes to the field.

Throughout his two years in Texas, Carr drew inspiration from Fremantle’s Mason Cox, keeping a close eye on the American's style of play and hoping to model aspects of his own game off him.

“I've been watching him for a bit. Obviously, I grew up as a Hawthorn [supporter], but every time I watched Collingwood play, I watched Coxy and always tried to be like him, you could say,” Carr said.  

“I knew coming across from basketball, it would be a similar type of situation with the whole Cat B. He sort of role modelled me, you could say.”

Since coming to Richmond, the 20-year-old has already been put through his paces, showing elite athletic ability as well as a promising skill set with the ball.  

“We did a bit of ruck work, we did some marking, we did some goalkicking,” Carr said on his time with the Tigers so far.

“They put me through a 1km as well, so it's a bit different to the good old basketball fitness, but it was a good test for me.

“I felt amazing. I just felt like it was a place for me to be, and I just couldn't be happier.

“I reckon it's probably going to be the fitness part of things, because obviously basketball, it's a lot of sprints, and footy's a lot more long distance.

“I'm going to be putting my head down with that and just working as hard as I can.”