Richmond has signed Patrick Carr to its AFL list as a Category B rookie, making the 217cm former basketball player the tallest player in league history. The 20-year-old will officially begin with the Tigers after the bye week.
Carr, who studied Business Management while playing college basketball for the University of Texas at Tyler, appeared in 11 games in the 2024/25 season and another four in 2025/26 before returning to his hometown of Melbourne two months ago. He last played football for Banyule at U14 level, but Richmond now sees a late switch back to the game he grew up with as a long-term project rather than an immediate fix.
National recruiting manager Rhy Gieschen said the club was delighted to bring Carr in, describing him as an exciting young athlete with some junior football experience before he focused on basketball in America. Gieschen said Carr showed real improvement in football fundamentals during trials, calling him a great size and shape for Richmond's game with real upside.
The signing also underlines how patient the club plans to be. Gieschen said Richmond's main focus will be introducing Carr back into football and preparing his body for the rigours of the game before easing him into training and potentially games later in the year. He said the club would take a long-term approach and was eager to watch Carr's development and improvement.
That patience is the key detail behind the move. Carr has the frame to attract attention immediately, but Richmond is not presenting him as an instant selection option. Instead, the Tigers are betting that a 20-year-old who spent years on a basketball court can rebuild football instincts quickly enough to matter later in the season, provided the transition back to AFL pace holds up.
