Mykelti Lefau, Josh Gibcus, Tylar Young, Taj Hotton and Judson Clarke off to Samoa

Richmond were decimated by injury in 2024, particularly knee complaints. Now, Richmond’s “ACL quintet” are taking the next step in their road back to the top level.

Richmond’s “ACL quintet” will jet off to Samoa on Saturday with Tigers forward Mykelti Lefau to connect with the sites of his family roots for the very first time.

Lefau, Josh Gibcus, Tylar Young, Taj Hotton and Judson Clarke — who is the closest of the five who suffered the knee injury in 2024 to returning to play — will travel to the Pacific country, with an eye to both discovering more about Lefau’s Samoan heritage and further developing football in the Polynesian islands.

The 26-year-old was born in New Zealand with his father from Samoa, and will travel to the village his grandparents call home for the very first time on the five-day trip — his first to the island nation.

Mykelti Lefau was a bright spot before going down with injury. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“Mykelti is very proud of his Samoan heritage,” Tigers chief executive Shane Dunne said.

“The traditional celebration his family and friends put on for him in our changerooms at the MCG before his debut was a great example of how he carries his heritage and what it means to him.

“For him to now be able to return to his family’s village while wearing the Richmond logo will be a proud moment for him, but also for our club.”
Lefau’s family members delivered a haka to the Tiger upon his debut game in 2024 which he described at the time as “pretty special”.

His grandmother on his father’s side is from Nofoali’i, a village on the Samoan island of Upolu, and his grandfather Falelatai on the same island.

“I’d never really had an opportunity to show my culture before, and doing it in the AFL … I had no hesitation to do it,” Lefau said last year.

“I think it’s very important to see a future with Pacific islanders playing AFL. It’s sort of an untapped area of talent.

“That’s my dream — to make sure we have young kids from islands to have an opportunity to play a sport that they’ve never even heard of.”

The Tigers were ravaged by knee injuries in 2024. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Lefau suffered his ACL injury in May and with his four fellow injured Tigers is expected to be given a full 12 months to recover.

Clarke, 21, has progressed slightly ahead of the five and took part in most match drills at Punt Road Oval on Wednesday morning.

The upcoming Pacific trip will also include visits to sporting organisations and the opportunity for locals interested in learning more about AFL coaching.

“AFL is for everyone,” Dunne said.

“And Richmond embodies that. It’s powerful that our players can engage with the Samoan community actively — and who knows, they might inspire some local talent to consider the sport as a potential option.”