Skipper in search of greater gloryToby Nankervis lauds the growth of his side, after taking a “step forward” this season.
By Henry Milic
Richmond Media
Sep 11, 2025Richmond captain Toby Nankervis is no stranger to ultimate glory. But, as the new generation of Tigers begin to flourish, he's looking to reset and lead them back to the promised land.
The ruckman led Richmond to five wins across the 2025 season, with the expectation of already improving that tally next year.
“I think there were a lot of positives to take out of it, but clearly it wasn’t as many wins as we would’ve liked,” Nankervis told Richmond Media.
“Definitely a step forward from last season and so much growth within our whole program, which is very exciting for next year and beyond.”
In his 12th AFL season, Nankervis set out a goal to be consistent with both his leadership and on-field performance.
“Personally, each year I just try and improve every single season,” Nankervis said.
“For me, this year, I just wanted to stay really consistent with my performance and my preparation, really working on the mental side of the game a lot.
“I feel like I have been able to do that, and I’m looking forward to a few weeks off now, but certainly ready to go again next year.”
Nankervis had one of his best seasons to date, surpassing his career averages across disposals (15.9), total clearances (4.7), hitouts (33) and hitouts to advantage (9).
Leading from the first bounce in every game, the 31-year-old credited the midfield group for their support, praising both the new and experienced players who rotated through the centre.
“It was very exciting to be able to change up the midfield mix this year, and I think that is a real strength at the moment,” he said.
“We have so much depth in there, and guys can roll through. We will need that, because that’s what the best teams do.
“To see Seth (Campbell), Maurice (Rioli), Taj (Hotton), and just to see that speed and explosiveness away from stoppages is just really exciting.
“To have Dion (Prestia), Tim (Taranto) and Hop (Jacob Hopper) play most of the year, they are such stable contributors week in week out, and I’m so lucky to be surrounded by those guys.
“The stability that they provide for the whole team is just awesome.”
Now, after eight seasons at Richmond, the 31-year-old remains one of the oldest and most experienced players at the Club.
With nine debutants pulling on the jumper this season, Nankervis highlighted the importance of the senior players and their role in mentoring the next generation of Tigers coming through.
“Nine debutants is a pretty special number, and they come into the season and really played at AFL level straight away, which is so exciting,” he said.
“Not only the young boys coming in, but I think the leaders really stepped up.
“Nick Vlastuin, Nathan Broad, Tim Taranto had really solid seasons. Ben Miller as well. I think his growth has been awesome.”
Despite all the growth displayed by the side, the skipper didn’t shy away from the challenges the young group faced, particularly during the halfway point of the season.
“Especially after the bye, I think we played four or five of the top sides throughout that period, and I think that is a gap for us,” Nankervis said.
“Playing those top sides is what we want to do, because it’s a great measuring stick for us.
“The consistency of four quarters and to be able to deliver is where we want to get to, so I think they were great lessons.
“Throughout each week, we would review the game honestly, and I think we were a better team off the back of that period.”
Nankervis hopes to build upon those lessons and take them into next season, with the goal of playing finals, forever at the forefront of the group's mind.
“Finals footy is always the goal, I’m not sure you go into a season and just be happy to compete," he said.
“We want to win every single game we play, and we want to be really competitive, but I think that starts with our system.
“Among that, we are all certainly very competitive people, and we want to be competing in finals as soon as we can.”
Nankervis has already turned his focus to 2026, vowing that the group will put in the work this coming pre-season.
“I think we definitely have taken a step forward this year, but it doesn’t just naturally occur, you have to do the work," Nankervis said.
“We will have a few weeks off now, but the hard work will start pretty soon.”
“We need to come back fit and ready to go to be able to improve and to catch up.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1889988/skipper-in-search-of-greater-glory
