Richmond's talented youngster Taj Hotton is working hard to earn his stripes as a genuine AFL midfielder heading into his third season at the top flight.
Hotton and the Tigers returned to the club for the official start of the pre-season, working hard at the new location, Waverley (Hawthorn's former training location), as Punt Road continues its development.
The former Pick 12 says he has been working on his engine to prove to his coaches that he's ready to play a more prominent midfield role alongside experienced campaigners Tim Taranto and Jack Ross, while helping fill the void left by Dion Prestia.
"I'd love to play more midfield," Hotton told 10 News.
"The coaches have been honest with me about building my tank up, and I feel like I've worked really hard this off-season to build that engine.
"It was tough. The heat got a few of us.
"Super stoked to be back. Got a pretty big emphasis on running this year and working hard."
Hotton has struggled to gain continuity in his body since he joined Richmond in the stacked 2024 draft.
He missed the majority of his draft year when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) midway through the season, pushing his AFL debut to Round 18 last year.
After finishing the 2025 season strongly, Hotton had scans on his hip which revealed bone stress, with the club placing him on a modified program. He returned to the senior side in Round 15 and played the final 10 games.
"I was probably being stupid trying to prove myself last year," Hotton said.
"I've learnt that that's silly and got to learn to pull myself out."
The 20-year-old is set to benefit from the club's new high-performance manager, Selwyn Griffith, who departed Melbourne to join Richmond.
Richmond had been on the hunt for a new high-performance manager after several dour seasons from an injury front.
Tigers coach Adem Yze said he was excited for a man of Griffith's experience to start working with the club's litany of young players.
“Selwyn is amazing at his job,” Yze said.
“He is a really smart operator. He will get his arms around our boys. He loves training, I spoke to him yesterday and he was running around.
“It is a real key pillar to our football club, and it is at any football club.
“Selwyn has earned his status, he is one of the top high-performance managers in the league.
“We are super excited. I know what he can do technically and tactically, and he is a great person as well.
“No doubt if you walked past Waverley (in the coming weeks), you would see him out there with our players, which is terrific.”
