Richmond draftee Riley Collier-Dawkins makes two mums proud

A beaming Damien Hardwick interrupted the interview to give Richmond draftee Riley Collier-Dawkins some reassuring words as the youngster’s two mums stood metres away.

Riley Collier-Dawkins receives his Richmond jumper from Neil Balme. Picture: AAP

A beaming Damien Hardwick interrupted the interview.

“Bit nervous?” Hardwick asked No.20 draft pick Riley Collier-Dawkins.

“Oh yeah. The heart rate was fluctuating, up and down,” Collier-Dawkins replied.

“Ours was a bit the same,” Hardwick said with a smile.

“Congratulations, mate, well done. Feel free to come (to training) tomorrow, or come Monday.”

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And with that Collier-Dawkins was a Tiger, hands placed on hips of a Richmond jumper and a smile stretching the cheeks of his face.

Metres away stood Collier-Dawkins’ two mums, Chris Dawkins and Jacinta Collier.

“It means a lot to them,” Collier-Dawkins said of his ­female parents.

“This shows you can come from different backgrounds and upbringings and still achieve whatever you want.

“As long as you apply yourself correctly, you can do anything. It’s been the norm for me. I haven’t experienced anything else. It’s just been routine really.”

The Tigers have secured a 191cm midfielder in Collier-Dawkins — “and I think I’ve got a couple of centimetres left in me” — who was not expected to last to their pick.

Richmond draftee Riley Collier-Dawkins gets a kiss from his mums Chris Dawkins (left) and Jacinta Collier. Picture: Michael Klein

Like Western Bulldog superstar Marcus Bontempelli and Carlton co-captain Patrick Cripps, there won’t be many midfielders Collier-Dawkins can’t look in the eye.

He averaged 18 disposals in this year’s TAC Cup and 12 disposals for Vic Metro, but half of his touches were contested possessions and clubs love his big frame.

And so Richmond list chief Blair Hartley took a crew of ­Tigers to Collier-Dawkins’ Chadstone home on Tuesday for a last-minute interview.

That feeling when Dimma gatecrashes your draft interview... pic.twitter.com/H7S6s4WTWX

— SuperFooty (AFL) (@superfooty) November 22, 2018

It was the final tick in the box, according to recruiting chief Matthew Clarke.

“He’s a big powerful boy, isn’t he?” Clarke said.

“We had some blokes rated around our pick and Riley was a little bit higher than that, so it was good that he got through.”

Collier-Dawkins left that interview thinking his future probably lay elsewhere.

“It was a real casual conversation. They just gave my ­parents an overview of what happens if they take me and I presumed in my own mind I’d go a bit earlier,” he said.

The Tigers rated Collier-Dawkins higher than No.20 and were strongly linked to Liam Stocker, who was picked up by Carlton the selection earlier after a bold trade with Adelaide.

As for Chris and Jacinta?

“They’re absolutely rapt (I’m staying) at home,” Collier-Dawkins said.

Originally published as Richmond draftee Riley Collier-Dawkins makes two mums proud