Campbell Gray made a solid AFL debut with Richmond in the Anzac Day Eve blockbuster against Melbourne at the MCG.

The 21-year-old, 195cm defender, who was recruited by the Tigers at pick 16 overall in the 2024 mid-season rookie draft, showcased his agility, intercept ability and strong spoiling technique.

He had five disposals, five marks, four intercepts, three rebound-50s, four one-percenters and 122 metres gained, before being subbed out of the game late in the third quarter.

Richmond coach Adem Yze spoke in his post-match press conference about the Tigers’ sixth debutant so far this season.

“He took a nice, little one-hander (mark) and looked at home,” Yze said.

“I think he’d played one game at the MCG at VFL level.

“The exposure he got today against a good team, and dealing with that momentum, would have been great for him.

“He gets to play in front of 80,000, or whatever it was there tonight. And a lot of our boys would have got a fair bit out of that, playing in front of a big crowd, big moment, different lead-in.

“So, that’s just growth we’ll be better for in the long run.

“We ended up subbing him out, just to get a different look.”

Richmond look ahead to their Round 8 clash against Hawthorn at the MCG next Sunday.