Richmond first year player Sam Cumming has got through his first game back from a shoulder injury unscathed.
Cumming lined up for Richmond's VFL side against St Kilda on Sunday, finishing with eight disposals, six tackles and two clearances playing on heavily managed minutes.
Despite modest stats, he influenced the contest, looking polished when he had the footy and clean in the contest.
He showed good stoppage craft, read the ball well off the ruck's hands and helped Richmond get ascendancy in the middle, while he also applied himself in the defensive phase of the game.
Frustratingly for Cumming and the Tigers, there is a league-wide VFL bye next week, before Richmond has a bye, though they will play an exhibition match against an AFL Academy side made up of the best junior talent in the country.
He will almost certainly need to play a full VFL game before he is considered for AFL selection.
Cumming suffered a sublaxation of his right shoulder in pre-season, with the Tigers opting against surgery and hoping he can play through it for the rest of the season.
"Sam Cumming only played limited game time and his attitude all day was awesome. At halftime, your speaking to the boys and looking at him, it gives me a boost as a coach because he's such a good bloke," VFL coach Jack Madgen told Richmond Media.
Ollie Hayes-Brown's game would have been pleasing for Richmond's selection committee, with the ruck clearly getting on top of Isaac Keeler.
The untried tall finished with 19 hitouts, 22 disposals and 11 clearances, regularly grabbing the footy out of the ruck and sending it forward.
"He was awesome today, he won that ruck battle and was really damaging," Madgen said.
With Samson Ryan facing a suspension for his strike on Jordon Sweet, Hayes-Brown will come into selection consideration for Gather Round.
Meanwhile, Tom Burton continued his strong start to life as an AFL footballer, kicking three goals and finding the footy 15 times. He got some time in his preferred midfield position while continuing to adjust to his new connecting forward position.
Sam Toner was the star of the day, with the VFL-listed forward kicking 6.3 and plucking eight marks, owning the third quarter when his side kicked away.
Perennially on recruiters' radars across the past 18 months, Toner has been searching for consistency since debuting at VFL level last year and appears to be finding it, with his six goal performance backing up three in Round 1.
"He was super potent in front of the footy and played a great game," Madgen said.
