Sam Lalor on Dusty comparisons, dealing with the hype, Yze, Ginbey incident and moreBy Lachlan Geleit
SEN
19 March 2025After he was taken with Pick 1 in the 2024 draft, expectations were high around Richmond’s Sam Lalor heading into his debut game against Carlton.
While many were hoping to see some signs that Lalor had a bright future ahead of him, not many could have foreseen him bursting onto the scene with 18 disposals, eight score involvements, two goals and two goal assists while playing a huge role in his side’s upset win.
That outing earned Lalor the Round 1 AFL Rising Star nomination, and he spoke to SEN’s Dwayne Russell in the wake of that recognition.
Lalor commented openly about the pressure of being the top pick, the comparisons between him and Dustin Martin and much more on SEN Afternoons.
Check out his responses to some key questions below:On Richmond’s upset Round 1 win and making his debut in front of 80,000“I had a kick before the game and soaked it all in at the ‘G and it settled the nerves, I just wanted to get out there and have fun," Lalor said.
“Not many clubs get to do that (play in front of huge crowds), and it was like having another player out there so hopefully the Tiger army keep rocking up to games.
“We’re a high-pressure side and the crowd helped us on the weekend, particularly in the second half.
“We all had the belief (that we could win), we’ve had it all pre-season, we knew we had to fix some things up, but in the second half the crowd got us up and we started putting the pressure on.
“It was amazing.”
On the comparisons to Richmond legend Dustin Martin“I have heard that in the last couple of days in some interviews, but I don’t buy into it too much.
“I just play to have fun and do my best. No one at the club has made any comparisons like that.”
On Richmond coach Adem Yze and the pressure he faced before Round 1“I love him.
“He gets around the boys and he’s a really good coach, so many people feed off him.
“He knows what he’s talking about. He understands we’re a young team and he hasn’t put pressure on us. He has made it so easy for us to come into the professional environment.
“He’s also more than a coach he reaches out a lot. He’s big on family and friends and he’s so approachable, he can help with things off the field as well as footy.”
On whether he wanted to be pick one in the lead-up to the draft“At the time, I just wanted to end up at Richmond, to be honest.
“I didn’t care what pick I was. I’m not treated any differently at the club or anything.
“It’s been very good to be pick one but it doesn’t mean anything now.
“For me, I don’t feel much pressure. Inside the four walls there’s no extra pressure, I just want to keep playing footy.”
On how he copes with the hype and expectation of being Pick 1“I think it’s just the people around the club have been awesome for me.
“Having seven other draftees has been great too and I don’t look into the social media stuff. I am on social media, but if I see something, I just scroll past it.
“As long as the coaches are happy and I’m doing my role, then I’m happy.
“We’re a very young group and with the new coach. We’re a close group, we love spending time together, everyone is so energetic, we love getting into training and we’re all good mates. I can’t wait for the future.”
On injuring his jaw in the pre-season after being pushed into a marking contest by West Coast's Reuben Ginbey"He sent me a message after the game apologising and I just said, 'Look, things happen in footy that you can't really control, that's alright'.
"It was obviously a setback but I was able to get myself right for Round 1 which was the goal, so I got where I wanted to be.
"Some things happen sometimes that are unfortunate, so that's alright."
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2025/03/18/sam-lalor-on-dusty-comparisons-dealing-with-the-hype-yze-ginbey-incident-and
