Opening Round kicks off on Thursday and the pre-season has provided plenty of answers, but certain questions can't be answered until the real stuff starts.

Zero Hanger has outlined a topic likely to garner plenty of discussion at each club in the first month of the season.

5Richmond

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 13: Rhyan Mansell (left) and Sam Lalor of the Tigers celebrate during the 2025 AFL Round 01 match between the Richmond Tigers and the Carlton Blues at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 13, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 13: Rhyan Mansell (left) and Sam Lalor of the Tigers celebrate during the 2025 AFL Round 01 match between the Richmond Tigers and the Carlton Blues at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 13, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

How do the cubs go?

It's easy to forget the eulogies that were being written about Richmond's season 12 months ago, before they managed to win five games and give fans hope that the rebuild is on the right track. But it's easy to forget that the Tigers are still relatively early in the rebuild. Arguably, no club has performed better across the past two drafts than Richmond, which will hold them in good stead in the long term. Sam Lalor, Sam Grlj, Jonty Faull and potentially Luke Trainor are the first and second-year players likely to feature early in the season and Richmond would love to see positive signs from the quartet to help them compete well and set them up for the future. There will be particular interest on 2024 number one pick Lalor after an injury-interrupted start to life as an AFL footballer. 

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