Richmond debutant Tom Burton will view Friday night as chapter one on a long journey.
That's the view of one of his closest childhood mentors, Michael Gulliver, who was his strength and conditioning coach during his time in the talent pathway.
“It's not about playing one game, it's about setting up a career and he's always wanted to do that,” Gulliver told Zero Hanger.
“He's very humble and hasn't played a game yet and he knows that and he wouldn't expect to play 300 games, but is putting everything in place to have as long a career as possible.”
His story of missing last year's draft after being an AFL Academy member, before being selected by Richmond in the Supplemental Selection Period is well-fabled after his emotional phone call home drew at the heartstrings.
"I got it" 🥹
The moment Tom Burton called his mum to say that he's officially on Richmond's list 📞 pic.twitter.com/7fchfciXW4
— Richmond FC 🐯 (@Richmond_FC) March 2, 2026
Since arriving at Punt Road, he has impressed with his attention-to-detail, both through his want to improve by doing extras on the track and diligent note-taking and vision-watching.
It follows his relentless pursuit of excellence last year where he would seize every opportunity with Western Jets coach Christian Stagliano to turn 20 minutes of extra training into 45.
“His long sessions probably upset a few of the other kids,” quipped Stagliano, who Burton counts as a significant voice in helping him reach the top level.
“He was just so desperate to get an opportunity at the next level and was so willing to take on feedback to make that happen.”
Highlighting his work ethic, he would dedicate up to 30 minutes per session to developing his kicking, aware his ball-use by foot was the knock on him.
The debut comes just 51 days after he was signed, with his speed and running power aligning with the direction Richmond wants to take its list.
That he had the resolve to maintain his dedication and immediately turn his attention to winning the last list spot after the adversity of missing out at the AFL National Draft underlined his character according to both Gulliver and Stagliano.
“It was consistent with what I saw last year," Stagliano told Zero Hanger.
"'Yep, okay, well, there's things I've got to improve on,' and he just went to work on it. He's unrelenting in his want to get better and his got some great attributes, but as much as anything I think that will is the greatest strength he has."
View this post on Instagram
His AFL selection comes off the back of 15 disposals and a goal in Richmond VFL's practice match against the AFL Academy and strong early season form where he has regularly hit the scoreboard.
Selected as a half-back/midfielder, Burton has played as a connecting forward for Richmond in the VFL, where he trained across summer, and comes in as a replacement for the injured Maurice Rioli junior.
Richmond VFL coach Jack Madgen has praised Burton's role compliance, running power and ability to impact in both offensive and defensive phases of the game so far this year.
“I always suggested that I thought if he did progress, he could be an ideal high forward with his ability to get up and down the ground because when you've got someone who can run like he can run and when he's red-lining keep going, lends itself to the role,” Stagliano said.
A co-captain of Vic Metro and skipper of the Western Jets, leadership is another key component of Burton's journey, with his on-field grit complementing his effervescent personality.
While win-loss is immaterial in the talent pathway, Burton won just four of his 18 games last year, limiting his ability to put his weapons on show.
Tom Burton is a name flying under the radar in this year’s #AFLDraft conversation.
The AFL Academy member has averaged 33 touches in his first 3️⃣ Western Jets games of 2025 off a limited pre-season & was best afield today.
His running power, speed and decision making = 🔥 🔥
— Jonty Ralphsmith (@JontyRalphsmith) May 25, 2025
“He is the sort of player who will play better the higher he goes with better systems because he knows where to run, runs the right patterns and more than anything is just super competitive,” Gulliver noted.
“If things weren't going well last year, he would try and take it all on and fix everything and you'd have to remind him ‘you're just a 17-year-old kid' but that just spoke to the type of person and leader he was.”
His desire for self-improvement extends beyond the footy field, too. Having graduated in 2024, he used last year to read and study a Bachelor of Commerce, while, as Stagliano notes, journalling was a powerful tool for Burton to orient his thoughts and provided him with clarity which shone through with his footy.
“I'll write in what I did well, what I did wrong and work on it and once it's on the page, I don't need to worry about it so it's out of my thoughts and I have mental resets out on the field,” Burton told Zero Hanger last year.
“That mental work is so powerful, I think whoever doesn't do it is missing out because it helps me think clearly.
“I used to get fixated on mistakes and errors in game and now if I make a mistake, I move on.”
Burton also used last year to take his strength and conditioning to the next level, aware that he had the time to improve his professionalism off-field beyond those who are balancing year 12.
Data showed improvement in his high-speed running which allowed him to show-off his power and helped him lead the Talent League in disposals last year.
“He reached out halfway through his bottom-aged year and was like, ‘hey, I think I need a bit of guidance'. And he was like, just an uneducated kid doing some bodybuilding kind of stuff,” Gulliver recalled.
“And we're like, Tommy, you're going so well with what you're doing already, but like, imagine if you actually changed it up and kind of did the right stuff.
“So we kind of took over there, mapped out his pre-season and he honed in on his key assets and he was a pleasure to work with. He would understand ‘you guys are experts in your field, what more can I do? And often we'd need to pull back because he was doing so much.”
From the dozens of chats/interviews I had with U18s last year, three stood out: Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves, Kye Fincher and Tom Burton.
Can only go off my interactions with him & don’t know too many teenagers that have the maturity and perspective he has - and worked hard to gain.
— Jonty Ralphsmith (@JontyRalphsmith) March 2, 2026
Stagliano has seen Burton handle bigger and bigger stages with aplomb, with the teenager taking no time to adjust to VFL level after performing for Western Jets and Vic Metro last year.
“It's going to be excitement, and I think he's shown that it doesn't matter where he's been or what level he's been to, he's been able to adjust quite quickly,” Stagliano said of the prospect of Burton playing in front of 70,000 people.
“And I think his attitude, that will and desperation to be the best he can be will give him every chance to succeed.”
Richmond and Burton will hope that chapter one on Friday night lays the foundation for a long and distinguished career for the latest Tiger cub roaring onto the big stage.
