“Same traits as Shai”: Richmond draftee anticipated to make waves in footballing returnCallum Farquhar
zerohanger.com
19 June 2025Richmond coach Adem Yze has lauded the talents of draftee Taj Hotton, who is set to make his footballing return after recovering from an ACL injury suffered pre-draft.
Hotton was one of the most highly-touted prospects heading into the 2024 draft, but his season-ending injury saw him fall to Pick 12, taken with the Tigers' third pick in their mega draft haul.
Now the teenage talent will be unveiled in the VFL for the first time this weekend, playing in Richmond's reserves curtain-raiser against the Bulldogs at Marvel Stadium.
"Taj is going to play some footy this weekend, which is awesome for him and the footy club, and it's exciting," Yze said on Thursday.
"He's gonna play three quarters, so he'll just start integrating into playing, which is great.
Yze didn't douse any flames of expectation for the Sandringham Dragons product, comparing Hotton to a livewire former Tiger ahead of his debut in yellow and black uniform.
"He's obviously a talented forward that can play midfield. You don't want to liken him to anyone but he's got the same traits as Shai (Bolton), he can mark, he can jump, he can be so silky, but he's just a great teammate," Yze said.
"He works so hard, he wants to play midfield so he'll get some of that exposure this weekend, but we've got to temper that with the fact that he's been out for 12 months and we just want to get him enjoying playing footy again.
"We're not going to rush him into anything. It's exciting for our footy club, and he's obviously a highly talented kid.
"He felt like he was ready a couple of weeks ago... we held him back, and we can't wait to see him put the jumper on for the first time."
Yze said the Hotton news was exciting and one to be grateful for.
https://www.zerohanger.com/same-traits-as-shai-richmond-draftee-anticipated-to-make-waves-in-footballing-return-164080/
