Talented Richmond forward-ruckman, Ty Vickery, is currently on holidays in Italy while he recovers from his season-ending shoulder surgery.

The plan is for Vickery, who has been sidelined since Round 11, to have his extended break now and then start his pre-season program well ahead of his teammates.

Vickery, 22, managed only nine games this season, before the Club decided to send him for surgery on a troublesome shoulder, which had prevented him from reaching the heights of his 2011 breakout year.  He kicked 36 goals last season and finished fifth in the Jack Dyer Medal.

Gun midfielder, Brett Deledio, rates Vickery highly and believes he is pivotal to the Tigers’ plans moving forward . . .

“For a bloke who’s 200cm, he’s extremely quick, not only on his feet, but in the mind as well,” Deledio said.

“He has incredible lateral movement for a big bloke and makes the tall defenders look pretty silly at times.

“He’s over in Italy, enjoying his time off, getting his shoulder right and he’ll be back, hopefully, bigger and better than ever next year.”