Richmond have collected a treasure trove of young talent in the last few drafts, this has given Tigers supporters some hope. The question for me is, how fast can Adam Yze mould these young guns into a competitive outfit ? We saw patches of it last year, I’m hoping we see a fair bit more this season. There’s honestly not a heap of Premium SuperCoach talent left on the Richmond list, but it’s packed with potential. Time to see what the Tigers have to offer in 2026.
The Lock
Samuel Grlj ( Def/Mid ) $172.000
With no obvious Premium lock at Richmond, I decided to go the best rookie, in my opinion. Sam Grlj ( pronounced Grill ) With the nickname “Sizzle” this kid might just live up to the hype. Training reports have been great. Even with his somewhat limited minutes in the practice games, Richmond fans assure me he’s on track for round one. His handy DPP almost make up for his slightly higher price tag. It’s still a little early to predict that he will become a must have rookie, but If you can fit him at this price point, I would seriously consider it.
The Dark Horse
Josh Gibcus ( Def ) $139.600
When you google Josh Gibcus, the first thing to come up is “Josh Gibcus injury ” This should tell you enough to know this guy has no luck when it comes to AFL footy. Now key defenders, even when fully fit, are rarely good scorers in SC. Saying all that, last year Zac Reid ( Essendon ) overcame a horrific run with injuries, and was close to the best Defensive rookie of 2025. The job security is rock solid, so if Josh’s body holds up, pop him on your bench and hopefully he can make some decent cash.
The Breakouts
Sam Banks (Def) $438.800
It was round 16 2025 and I was watching a Richmond game and this kid really caught my eye. He moves and kicks the ball a lot like a young Dan Houston. Now in a struggling Tigers side Sam went on to score 129 and pick up 2 Brownlow votes. Impressive. I picked him up in a draft league and he went on to have 4 scores over 98 in his last 8 games. This put him firmly on my radar for this season. Now an interrupted pre-season due to some lower leg issues has certainly put a dampener on this pick. Still one to keep a close eye on when he regains full fitness.
Sam Lalor ( Fwd ) $298.600
Doesn’t he look great running around in Dusty’s number 4 ? He’s 188 cm and already built like the proverbial Sh#T house. The number one draft pick has unlimited potential. How much will see in just his second season ? Injuries restricted him to just 11 games last year, so we need to remember, he’s still very young in terms of actual games played. I honestly think this one might be just a year too early.I get why some are willing to take a punt at this price point in the Forward line, I would just like to see a bit more continuity before I commit.
The ( other ) Rookies
Samuel Cummings ( Mid ) $176.500
I was super exited with this pick until recently. He has all the hall marks of a fantastic SC pick. His junior numbers are right at the top when comparing him to other Midfielders from his draft. My main concerns lie around his role, and the fact Richmonds could be patient around some of these early draft picks. I can’t actually see him getting too much Midfield time. I’m hoping something changes in the next practice game, but at the time of writing, I feel his elated price and lack of DPP might mean I’m passing on Sam. What’s with all the Sam’s in the list anyway ?
Patrick Retschko ( Mid ) $119.900
At 22% owned Patrick looks to have found a spot on heap of our benches. In his first year on the Geelong rookie list, he came 5th in the VFL B&F. Traded to the Tigers for peanuts, many thought he would be first in line for the retiring Headband McIntosh’s wing spot. He did show some signs in the last practice game, but we will need to see a heap more in the next one. Keep him watch listed, but have back up.
Other Cheapies
Mikelti Lafau ( Fwd ) $146.900
I’m not sure he will be a great scorer, but Mikelti looks to have a Forward spot sewn up at Richmond. He played well in the last pre season game and even did a little ruck work in the forward 50. There’s most likely cheaper options, but his JS looks solid at this stage, so worth a mention.
Any Richmond fans out there or anyone with inside info on Rookies, we’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for reading FT.