250 games for our #1 TigerA heart and soul Tiger, Nick Vlastuin is set to play his 250th AFL game on Saturday night.
By Henry Milic
RFC website
8 July 2025Ultimate Richmond man and three-time premiership player, Nick Vlastuin, will play his 250th AFL game in front of the Tiger Army when the side faces the Bombers on Saturday night at the MCG.
Vlastuin’s career at Punt Road first began when he was picked up in the 2012 National Draft with the ninth overall selection.
Hailing from Eltham in Melbourne’s North-East, Vlastuin quickly rose through the ranks, captaining the U18’s Vic Metro side in his draft year.
“I played for Eltham Junior Footy Club and then went to Northern Knights in Under 16s, where I went through that program, Vic Metro, and then I got drafted to Richmond,” Vlastuin said on the latest episode of Forging Forward, which airs on Friday night on the Richmond website, app and YouTube.
“I’ll be honest, I didn’t do too well at school and didn’t really have much else going for me, so I had a gap year between finishing school and getting picked up because I finished when I was 17.
“I was just lifeguarding, and I went to uni, but I ended up dropping out because I hated studying, so it was kind of footy or bust for me.”
On the latest episode of Forging Forward backed by Latitude, we went surfing with Vlastuin and Luke Trainor, and spoke to Nick and key figures from his football career. Tune into Richmond’s website, app and YouTube on Friday night at 7pm to watch the full episode.
Vlastuin’s good friend, and 2016 premiership player with the Western Bulldogs, Tom Boyd, said that Tigga's leadership shone through from an early age.
“Nick was the captain of Vic Metro when I played as a bottom-age player,” Boyd said.
“He was named Tigga because he was a maniac of a kid and very difficult to keep down in one place, and he was exactly that when I met him.
“He was full of energy and always wanted to do things, certainly was a good leader from a very practical point of view and just played the game the way it should be played.”
In Round 5 in 2013, Vlastuin made his AFL debut against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval, where the side fell short in the dying minutes of the game, losing by one point.
“I remember getting told on the Thursday, and we were playing on the Saturday, so it was pretty hard for a lot of family and mates to get over there,” Vlastuin said.
“It was in Subiaco vs Freo, and we ended up losing by one point, and I remember Hayden Ballantyne kicked a goal at a stoppage with like 10 seconds to go or something.
“It was a bit of a baptism by fire.”
Now on the cusp of his 250th game, Vlastuin has cemented himself as one of Richmond’s all-time greats.
Last year, the 31-year-old won the Jack Titus Medal as runner-up in Richmond’s best and fairest, an accolade to go alongside his three premierships acclaimed in 2017, 2019 and 2020.
Former teammate and now assistant coach, Chris Newman, reflected on how big of an influence Vlastuin has had on the Club during his tenure.
“He was always very easy to play with. One thing about Tig is that he was always very reliable, and he is able to be really level-headed regardless of the scenario,” Newman said.
“He is still that reliable self, he still puts the jumper on and cares for his teammates more than you could ever hope for, and he is the one those people turn to when they need some help.
“He sees the game so well, and that is why he has been able to be one of our most consistent players for a long, long period of time, and that is really hard to be able to do.”
Vlastuin is now the most experienced player amongst the current playing group, having accumulated more AFL games than any of his teammates.
The 31-year-old has taken it upon himself to be a leader for the next generation of Tigers both on and off the field.
Away from footy, Vlastuin likes to make the most of Victoria's pristine surf coastline, even taking the first-year players under his wing by teaching them how to surf.
“As soon as I got my license, I was driving down here (Torquay), flat out and just surfed whenever I could,” Vlastuin said.
“One of my good mates, Tom Boyd, who I lived with, we would literally look every day to see where the best surf was in Victoria on our day off and either go down to Phillip Island or Mornington Peninsula, Torquay and all the way down to Johanna.
“The best surfer is the one who has the most fun.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1824192/250-games-for-our-1-tiger
