Richmond will hand Noah Roberts-Thomson his AFL debut against Euro-Yroke at Marvel Stadium on Sunday, giving the 2025 draftee a senior chance as the Tigers chase their second win of the season in Round 10.
Roberts-Thomson was taken with Richmond’s 54th pick in the 2025 draft and pushed his case with strong VFL form before getting the call-up. In Round 7 against Williamstown, he collected 18 disposals and kicked four goals, a performance that put him firmly in the selection picture.
The debut comes with Richmond still dealing with the absence of Toby Nankervis, leaving Noah Balta and Oliver Hayes-Brown to share the ruck workload. That makes the contest with Tom De Koning and Rowan Marshall one of the more important matchups of the day, especially for a side trying to build field position and stay in games longer.
Adem Yze said the Tigers have seen signs of progress in the middle of the ground over the past month. “Noah Balta’s gone in there and working with Ollie Hayes-Brown, our ruck craft is getting better, our synergy within that is getting better,” he said, adding that Richmond’s stoppage, ruck and clearance numbers “have gotten better and better over the last month.”
Last week against Adelaide, Hayes-Brown finished with nine hit-outs, while Balta had eight hit-outs and 268 metres gained, numbers that showed how Richmond is trying to adapt without its first-choice ruckman. Yze said Roberts-Thomson and Hayes-Brown have already given the side more options in that area, and that winning clearance remains central to keeping the ball in Richmond’s front half.
The challenge on Sunday is clear. Euro-Yroke brings a strong ruck pairing, Richmond is still without Nankervis, and the Tigers need a result to keep their season from drifting further. Roberts-Thomson’s debut gives them another look at a player who has forced his way into the team, but the bigger test is whether Richmond can turn a developing midfield contest into the second win it needs now.
“We’ll be up against it on the weekend, it’ll be a good battle inside, and hopefully that gives us the supply that we want,” Yze said. For Richmond, that supply may decide whether Roberts-Thomson’s first AFL game is remembered as a debut or as the start of something more useful.
