Ultimate player ratings: Glenn McFarlane & Jon Ralph rate every Tiger (HSun)

[one-eyed]

Ultimate player ratings: Glenn McFarlane and Jon Ralph rate every Richmond player​

A mass exodus followed a wooden spoon season for Richmond last year. How quickly can the draftees turn things around? Jon Ralph and Glenn McFarlane run the rule over the list.



Jon Ralph and Glenn McFarlane
HeraldSun
16 Feb 2025

It was a difficult coaching initiation for Adem Yze in 2024.

The maiden coach led Richmond to its lowest-ever ladder position, followed by a mass exodus of experienced stars.
But armed with high-profiled draftees, including No.1 pick Sam Lalor, Yze will be eager to lift the Tigers off the bottom of the ladder.

Jon Ralph and Glenn McFarlane have rated every player on every list, and today run the comb across the Tigers playing group.

Criteria: The rating out of 100 is a prediction of their 2025 performance based on their 2024 season, expected improvement and role in their side.

Tim Taranto
84
No club apart from West Coast has a player ranked first at their club with such a low total score, another reminder of the onus on the Tigers to maximise their existing strengths but also find a new breed of matchwinners. Taranto played only 15 games with injury and few with the impact of his previous season so will need to be every bit the matchwinner for Richmond to climb off the bottom of the ladder.
2024 rating: 86

Nick Vlastuin
82
Vlastuin was second in last year’s best and fairest in a year he proved his worth against an avalanche of opposition inside 50s, rating elite for intercepts, intercept possessions and kicking. They badly need him to play for another 3-4 years in a backline that has lost the likes of Dylan Grimes, David Astbury and Daniel Rioli in recent seasons.
2024 rating: 78

Toby Nankervis
81
To think the Tigers secured skipper Nankervis for pick 46 all those years ago before the three flags and captaincy of a club that desperately needed it when he took up the reins. He battled plantar fascia early last year but still played 21 very serviceable games averaging an excellent 110 ranking points with elite pressure. Adem Yze will be praying to footy’s gods that he remains fit all year.
2024 rating: 76

Noah Balta
75
Balta will miss the first month of the season after an assault charge that would have the club filthy given he is exactly the kind of emerging leader they don’t need to doing dumb things like pub skirmishes. But he is fundamental to everything they do as a swingman who kicks the ball like a mule. Few are more important to their structure.
2024 rating: 74

Nathan Broad
74
Broad finished fourth in the best and fairest ahead of the likes of Shai Bolton as an indication of his excellent season showing sturdy presence down back across 22 games. We can’t give him extra points for loyalty but him staying when the Roos came hard last year should put the three-time premiership player even higher in the esteem of the Richmond faithful.
2024 rating: 75

Tom Lynch
73
Let’s face it, no one is more important to Richmond’s fortunes in 2025 than Lynch. It’s Lynch then daylight. But he only scores this ranking given he has played more than 20 games a single season since 2016 and has consecutive seasons with just four games. If he isn’t available in the Tigers forward line it is possible to build a case they won’t win a game. Huge presence and also leadership for the young draftees if he can stay fit.
2024 rating: 78

Rhyan Mansell
72
There are smooth-moving high draft picks who always look predestined for AFL glories. Then there are scrappy determined players like Mansell, who found his way to the AFL from North Launceston via the SANFL. His stats don’t jump off the page but in a 2024 season where he kicked 21 goals and averaged a score assist, 3.8 score involvements and 3.1 tackles. He’s not yet 25 but along with Lynch he needs to be a forward-line general.
2024 rating: 43

Jacob Hopper
72
Since his superb 2021 season he had managed seven, 16 and 12 games due to injuries many and varied. Surely he is due a break to show whether he’s just a very handy mid or something better. At his best he’s a hard nut who can step out of traffic at will to help distribute to the fleet-of-foot mids. He has plenty of time at Richmond to rewrite the current narrative.
2024 rating: 70

Jayden Short
71
Short’s numbers looked fine last year but he would acknowledge he didn’t have the impact of previous seasons despite an eight placing in the VFL as he played 22 games and averaged 471 metres gained from his 21.9 touches a game. He has such a responsibility to teach the youngsters like Sam Banks the right way to play as part of a rich legacy given he is only 29 as a Tigers stalwart.
2024 rating: 80

Tom Brown
71We have bought plenty of stocks in Tom Brown and believe he can fulfil his potential even despite a year where he showed so much as a rebounding, elite-kicking defender but somehow still found himself playing forward in the final two games. He kicked three goals against Collingwood in the penultimate game. Now surely Yze settles him down as the next Dylan Grimes alongside Tylar Young and Josh Gibcus when they return from ACL issues.
2024 rating: 69

Josh Gibcus
69
Gibcus won’t be seen back until the early rounds but he will be judged by his returns at the end of the season, not whether he sprints back from a March 2024 ACL tear to get involved in the early rounds. Richmond would love for him to show by August he is robust enough to play the next 8-10 years in a defence with Brown, swingman Noah Balta and Young. But the history concerns (an ACL, hamstring problems) mean everyone is nervous about how his season plays out.
2024 rating: 69

Sam Lalor
66
Richmond didn’t go for the dime-a-dozen midfield accumulator, they went for the game-changer with their No.1 overall draft pick. Wash your mouth out with soap if you have ever compared him to Dustin Martin, who is one of one. But he can be a player who, like mid-forward Cam Rayner, eventually stands up in big finals. He’s had a solid pre-season off pre-existing hamstring issues so he will get his chances early to shine on the big stage.
2024 rating: N/A

Dion Prestia
65
The over-and-under on premiership hero Prestia is about 15 games this year. In his past 10 seasons he has six seasons under 15 games and four over 15 games. Last year amid continuing soft tissue concerns he churned out 13 high quality games and yet missed 10 with a variety of issues. That is his lot and yet he definitely deserved another one-year deal as a hard-running mid with quality ball use that other Tigers mids do not possess.
2024 rating: 76

Tylar Young
65
Another Tiger who will make a delayed return to the AFL season after an ACL tear in March. Hugely underrated by those who haven’t seen him on a weekly basis, the former Frankston VFL player can play tall and small as a lockdown defender and will hope his ACL tear is an aberration as another second-chance hero in the AFL.
2024 rating: 65

Seth Campbell
64
Campbell broke out last year playing 21 games as a high half forward who kicked only 10 goals but set up plenty – 16 score assists, 74 score involvements – as the best first year player at Richmond. The Tasmanian has real upside.
2024 rating: 29

Ben Miller
64
Miller’s year was actually lost in the wash of Richmond’s annus horribilis, with the former ruck and key forward playing full back as a defender ranking elite for spoils who also ranked above average in one-on-one contests. He’s not Alex Rance but he could build a nice little career in defence as Richmond rebuilds in coming years.
2024 rating: 42

Kamdyn McIntosh
63
McIntosh had to wait for a long time for a one-year deal and yet he played 22 games as a hard-running midfielder who can also play in defence last year. He only averaged 11.5 possessions and yet there will be times when the kids get tired and McIntosh’s consistent brand of football will be needed more than ever in 2025.
2024 rating: 69

Josh Smillie
63
Very early on in the 2024 Coates League season Richmond earmarked Smillie as a player to watch as a 195cm midfield talent and while his Under-18 carnival was only so-so, he roared home to validate their belief in him as a player they finally took at pick seven. Apart from a minor hamstring issue he has eaten up the workload. Play him early and often and watch what the result might be when he gets 50 games under his belt.
2024 rating: N/A

Mykelti Lefau
60
Lefau is an excitement machine who gave Tigers fans something to cheer for as he showed off his bullocking forward line play last year before going down with yet another Richmond ACL tear. He isn’t due back any time soon so he gets a lower rating as a result.
2024 rating: N/A

Hugo Ralphsmith
59
Ralphsmith has something. Call it a spirit of adventure or just breakneck pace but in an era when elite ball movement off half back and wing is so important coach Adem Yze clearly decided he was worth persevering with. The challenge for Ralphsmith is to improve ball use rated only average across what was admittedly a career-high 18 games. It’s a platform to build on.
2024 rating: 39

Luke Trainor
58
The Tigers used pick 21 on 194cm Victorian defender Trainor in the national draft, with the Sandringham Dragons key back at one stage considered a top 10 prospect. At his best he’s a tremendous intercept mark with elite foot skills. So he could slot in as a third tall early in his career in a side where Yze will be keen to give chances to the youngsters – even ahead of their time.
2024 rating: N/A

Harry Armstrong
57
Even No.1 overall pick Aaron Cadman couldn’t make much of an impact in his debut season with six goals in 12 games, so as much as Richmond fans should be excited by his potential, the 195 Sandringham Dragons forward taken at pick 23 after sliding down the draft rankings as an athletic prospect will take time. Get in early and enjoy the ride.
2024 rating: N/A

Taj Hotton
56
Hotton does things of which very few other players are capable. It is just that Richmond fans might see him in limited doses early on after last year’s ACL tear. In a rebuilding side, why rush the early draft picks including No.12 draft pick Hotton, who eventually could replace Shai Bolton as a star mid-forward who takes the game away from rivals. If he could play 6-8 AFL games after a VFL apprenticeship, it would be a good 2025 haul.
2024 rating: N/A

James Trezise
56
Former mid-season pick Trezise had a run of footy in the VFL mid-season but after playing the last six games in the seniors the Tigers will hope he can be a mainstay of their backline as a tight-checking defender who is working hard on his offensive output.
2024 rating: 46

Sam Banks
55
Let’s talk glass half full for 2021’s No.29 draft pick Banks. In the best of his 15 games playing wing last year he racked up 25 possessions, 29 ranking points, 538 metres gained and kicked at 86 per cent efficiency against St Kilda. How often can he get back there this year given the other 14 games were nowhere near that output?
2024 rating: 55

Tyler Sonsie
55
Sonsie played a career high 14 games as a general forward and mid and three times logged 18 possessions but it remains to be seen if he can be a midfield extractor of note or a damaging player despite being a top 30 pick. He will get more chances this year but whether it is as a centre square regular remains to be seen.
2024 rating: 48

Maurice Rioli
54
Richmond had seen enough of Rioli’s improvement last year to give him a two-year extension to 2026 and yet it will be a year of growing up for Rioli. He is without his close relative Daniel (who is Maurice’s nephew) but in eight early-season games before a syndesmosis concern wrecked his year he had seven goals and had put on excellent pressure. By god there is a spot there for him every single week. Let’s hope he grasps the chance.
2024 rating: 40

Jonty Faull
54
Faull is a hugely competitive key forward who the Tigers were desperate to secure as the surprise No.14 pick ahead of more highly fancied young attacking options. Richmond loved his aggression and believed he was capable of playing the modern game where key forwards get very little room to move and must fight and scrap for every possession. He has battled a back stress fracture concern but he’s about to work back into training.
2024 rating: N/A

Jacob Bauer
53
Richmond is desperate to find some mid-sized aerial targets to bolster their forward line and former mid-season draftee Bauer certainly has the talent after dominating at both ends in the VFL. He kicked four goals in three late season games as a 192cm marking prospect and has a role to play even when the star draftees emerge in those key tall slots.
2024 rating: 44

Jacob Koschitzke
53
Koschitzke battled valiantly in his first season at Richmond for limited impact – 12 goals in 14 games playing key forward with a bit of ruck thrown in. He has such an opportunity in this undermanned forward line to throw himself into packs and make a difference. He would know it’s a make-or-break year with the young forwards desperate for chances.
2024 rating: 53

Jack Ross
52
Midfielder Ross played only seven games due to a stress fracture in his foot after a breakout 2023 that saw him winning an average of 18 possessions across 19 games. If he gets a run at it he should be a best 23 player in this young team that needs his hard-running style.
2024 rating: 52

Jacob Blight
51
One to watch for the Tigers after they used pick two in last year’s mid-season draft to pick the intercept defender and then gave him three late-season games where he averaged 1.7 intercept marks and five intercept possessions. Just the kind of plug-and-play option they need given Noah Balta’s early-season suspension.
2024 rating: N/A

Kane McAuliffe
51
McAuliffe was much-hyped as a strong-bodied inside mid leading into the 2024 season and showed signs in a nine-game season that included some nice moments against contenders Geelong and Brisbane. Now he must build on that taste of the action as he turns 20 to become a Richmond regular.
2024 rating: 31

Thomson Dow
50
What to make of Dow, who played 17 games as a midfielder in the senior side last year but averaged only 15 touches (60 ranking points) and three clearances but a pair of games where he had eight and seven clearances against Geelong and Brisbane? He needs more consistency as the No.21 pick in the 2019 national draft.
2024 rating: 45

Samson Ryan
50
Ryan was subbed off at half time in the opening round clash against Gold Coast and his season didn’t really get much better from there. Despite his talent as a ruck-forward he had to wait until round 11 for another senior chance. After eight games last year, the 24-year-old will realise the urgency around his career as he tries to establish himself in a Richmond ruck pecking order that remains perilously thin if Nankervis goes down.
2024 rating: 48

Thomas Sims
49
Expect young small forward Simms to get early chances in Yze’s side after being recruited as a small forward from Montmorency as the No.28 pick in last year’s national draft. A solid pre-season has set him up for early games.
2024 rating: N/A

Steely Green
48
A player drafted with pick 55 two seasons ago as a Liam Baker clone will get plenty of chances this year as a running half forward after three goals against GWS in the best of his six games last year.
2024 rating: 24

Judson Clarke
47
Clarke kicked 11 goals from 14 games as a classy half forward two seasons ago before succumbing to another ACL tear. He’s the most advanced of the ACL victims and the Tigers desperately need quality half forwards but he will take time to find his feet again.
2024 rating: 47

Kaleb Smith
45
Smith played four games as a small defender last year after battling a 2023 navicular concern and will hope he can find a regular role in defence as the No.29 pick in the 2022 national draft.
2024 rating: 24

Jasper Alger
38
The 183cm medium forward Alger was the last of Richmond’s eight draft picks as the No.58 selection after quality performances for Vic Country including a three-goal haul. Very young and perhaps a little raw so he has time on his side.
2024 rating: N/A

Liam Fawcett
30
Fawcett effectively gets first full year at the Tigers after being drafted as a developing tall forward who was struck by glandular fever and then a back injury to play three late-season VFL games as the No.43 selection in the 2023 national draft.
2024 rating: 30

Mate Colina
30
Colina has been struck down by a litany of injuries since the former basketballer – all 213cm of him – arrived at the club from the University of Hawaii but the Tigers have persevered so clearly believe in his talent.
2024 rating: 20

Campbell Gray
29
Richmond swept in late in the mid-season draft to secure Essendon VFL swingman Gray, and he kicked eight goals in four VFL games before his season ended with a hamstring injury. Touch wood he gets a good run at it to put his best foot forward.
2024 rating: N/A

Oliver Hayes-Brown
28
The former Perth Wildcats basketballer stands 208cm tall and is a project ruckman who split his time between the VFL and amateur football last year as he learned the craft.
2024 rating: 20

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/ultimate-player-ratings-glenn-mcfarlane-and-jon-ralph-rate-every-richmond-player/news-story/20616d9b5dfd198fddd5be55edfe2efb

[Hard Roar Tiger]

Thomas Sims must be the AFL’s tallest ever small forward.