Richmond tracker: When will Tigers unleash their prized draftees in 2025?
Richmond’s prized draft crop is set to shape the club’s next era. But as CHRIS CAVANAGH writes, Tiger fans will have to be patient. See where every player is at in our Tiger Tracker.
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Blessed with surfer blonde hair, Josh Smillie used to spend all of his summer days in the waves at St Leonards or Ocean Grove.
The Richmond draftee has trekked down to the Bellarine Peninsula every summer since his family bought a holiday home in St Leonards.
But as the heat rose a few months ago, Smillie had a small tinge of jealousy as he saw updates from his friends and family in the sand.
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“I only went down for a couple of days this summer,” he said.
“It was pretty frustrating seeing all my family down there. Obviously I have my dream job now, so I can’t complain.
“We have a place down at St Leonards, we have had it for 18 years now so I have been very lucky to go there. Obviously there aren’t a lot of waves so I love going to Ocean Grove but it is a good quiet spot where you can relax and spend time with family and friends.”
A modern 195cm hybrid, Smillie can play anywhere across the ground and fancies his future as a big-bodied midfielder.
And it is that body that has had him working overtime this year, passing up the beach weights for serious work at Punt Rd.
“I am a real beach man but obviously recently I like to get into the club on days off as well and do some extra stuff to work on my body,” he said.
Smillie is the second name on a list that will be reeled off by Richmond fans, for better or worse, for years to come.
He was taken at No.7 in November’s draft, sandwiched in the Tigers monster haul between No.1 pick Sam Lalor and Taj Hotton at No.12.
The kid from Park Orchards in Melbourne’s east already knows all eyes will be on that draft class and where it can take the club.
“It is obviously big, there are eight of us that have gone into the club,” he said.
“I think the club is going in a different direction now and I can’t wait to see how it goes. We take the mick a fair bit about the older guys and how old they are, so it’s for us to bring the energy. We are pretty much all their sons which is pretty funny.
“We have a pretty big group of guys who are all pretty young so it has been said it is on us if we really want to put this franchise where they should be for the future. We are as excited as ever.”
If the young Richmond players are ‘sons’, Smillie’s had a few fathers this pre-season as he learns the ins and outs of an AFL midfield.
“I think from the training point of view, obviously there were some big boys and big bodies (in pre-season) but I love that sort of stuff,” he said.
“It was great to get out in the midfield and work with guys like Timmy (Taranto) and (Jacob) Hopper and Dion (Prestia) and get the best out of them to help me for the future.”
Only a decade ago, a 195cm midfielder would have been dubbed a ‘unicorn’.
The big boys in the middle are not dime-a-dozen yet but with Marcus Bontempelli (192cm) and Patrick Cripps (195cm) seen by some as the best two onballers in the game, tall midfielders are a growing breed.
Smillie’s football IQ and sharp skills mean he sees himself as more than a lumbering tall onballer.
“I really take pride in my kicking skills around the ground,” he said.
“My body use around stoppage and also my leadership around the ground.
“But I think I have that ability to play backline or forward. I have primarily played midfield and trained as a midfielder but I am open to going wherever (coach Adem) Yze needs me.”
JOSH SMILLIE ON …
Which fellow draftee has caught his eye: “I think Harry Armstrong and Jasper Alger are two who haven’t really surprised me because I know how good they are as footballers, but they have trained the house down. You see Harry flying for marks in the forward line or you see Jasp getting those ground balls and kicking goals and applying pressure up forward.”
The pros and cons of being a 195cm midfielder: “There are some disadvantages. I have to go further down (to pick up the ball) than a guy like Dion (Prestia). I think it is good that I have long arms and can tackle and these little things that add up to being the best player I can possibly be.”
What else he is doing outside of footy: “I have been getting into golf lately. I am no good though.”
Originally published as Richmond tracker: When will Tigers unleash their prized draftees in 2025?
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