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Live sport on SN this weekend"From Round 1": Tigers ready to elevate Lalor's time on-ball
Jaiden Sciberras • February 22nd, 2026 7:00 pm
With several young talents set to push for on-ball minutes, Richmond assistant coach Sam Lonergan has revealed the club's ideal midfield mix for the season ahead, emphasising the inclusion of their prized No.1 Pick.
Entering 2026 with a quality mix of veteran leadership and raw talent, the Tigers - well aware of their developing status - are prepared to utilise this season to build into the future.
Led by their senior presence, 2025 saw the likes of Tim Taranto (average of 81 per cent centre bounce attendance), Jacob Hopper (81 per cent) and Dion Prestia (69 per cent) share much of the load on the inside.
However this season, two of their most highly touted youngsters are set for a vast leap in midfield appearances within their second AFL campaign.
“I think Toby Nankervis obviously starts in the ruck, and we’ve got quality players (in the midfield),” Lonergan told SEN Afternoons.
“Tim Taranto, Dion Prestia and Sam Lalor – that’s a pretty good starting three, rolling Jacob Hopper in and around that space as well.
“The exciting thing for our midfield group – we’ve got Jack Ross (34 per cent in 2025), who is in our leadership group; he has probably been our best midfield trainer over the whole pre-season, so he is probably going to get a lot of time in there as well.
“Then there’s Taj Hotton (10 per cent in 2025) – he is a super talent. There is a number of different options that we will assess opposition, assess where we’re at and then pick the right mix every given week.”
Much has been made of the role Sam Lalor will be made to play, however, as Lonergan revealed, the club has no doubts about his best position moving forward.
The club’s former No.1 Pick and superstar in the making took up a midfield/forward role over his first season, featuring in just 21 per cent of centre bounces while shifting between positions with much fluidity and frequency.
But as stated by the club’s midfield coach, the engine room is right where Lalor belongs and will play his best footy from 2026 and beyond.
“Absolutely (he is a midfielder). He’s a very, very good player,” Lonergan said.
“To be honest, my mindset is, ‘I’m going to give him every opportunity to establish that spot from Round 1’.
“He is physically strong enough, he is mature enough, his leadership skills… we just have to monitor him over the course of the year with his load.
“That’s up to the strength and conditioning team to make sure that they balance all of our first second and third year players out - to make sure we’re not overloading them too early in their career just because we’re excited by their talent and what they may be able to offer each week.
“That’ll be an ongoing management, but I see Sam very much being in that Round 1 selection as a midfielder.”
Listen to Lonergan's full discussion below:
