Dion Prestia delivers polished performance in first game for Richmond

RICHMOND fans can sleep soundly knowing draft pick six was well spent during the trade period with former Sun Dion Prestia delivering a touch of class in his Tiger debut.

Dion Prestia of the Tigers in action.

IT was footy in Melbourne all over.

Opening round, 73,000 at the MCG. Punt Rd gridlock, Swan St buzzing and scarfs out car windows. This was what getting to Melbourne was all about for Dion Prestia.

They don’t do it like this on the Gold Coast.

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Prestia, 24, had only played on the MCG seven times before Thursday night, for just two wins.

Out there for number eight, this time in yellow and black, he looked right at home.

“It was a great win for the boys, and great to see the crowd out here,” he said.

“73,000 is just awesome.”

He was one of the biggest fish of the trade period and gets called “meatball”. But boy, is there substance to him — some serious flavour and flair.

He entered the game with some concerns — he’d been missing from a few training sessions this week — and he was taking the number of a much-loved former Tiger that many were sad to see shift harbourside, Brett Deledio.

Dion Prestia fires off a handball under pressure from Bryce Gibbs.

Commentators have talked the talk about the top-10 pick, despite knee injuries that have curtailed his past two seasons, and he proved on Thursday night that walking the walk is no trouble.

A couple of goals, a pinch of pressure and a touch of class — and the recipe came together beautifully under heat.

He even cleans up afterwards, his work out of defence polished.

A guy named Dustin Martin stole the show, but every superstar has their sidekick.

And what a pair those two made — 51 touches between them and five goals.

Attack proved brutal for the Tigers.

“We did a lot of work over the pre-season — a lot of new players and new coaches coming in,” Prestia said on Channel 7.

“I think we’re a lot different to what (they) were last year — so we looked pretty good tonight. We need to keep backing it up.”

New Tigers Dan Butler, Toby Nankervis, Josh Caddy and Dion Prestia sing the club song.

Soon after, Prestia and fellow former Sun and housemate Josh Caddy had their first of many drives home together from the MCG.

Reckon it was one to remember.

“We were looking for each other but I was pumped when he came down to Richmond (from Geelong),” Prestia smiled.

“It’s awesome being with him and being back — it’s a bit of a love story, which is nice.”