Richmond will unveil its first pick in the 2012 National Draft, Nick Vlastuin, against Fremantle this Friday night.

The 19-year-old has been selected to make his AFL debut, after being named as an emergency for the opening four rounds of the season.

Vlastuin put in some eye-catching performances during the pre-season competition, and has carried that form through two appearances for the Tigers’ VFL affiliate, Coburg.

Sign up as a Richmond member in 2013.  The Roar is Back.

“I was on the massage table and Dimma rang me.  I thought ‘I’d better answer’ just in case, and he told me to come to his office,” Vlastuin said.

“When I walked in he said congratulations.  I thought he was going to tell me I had just missed out again, so I was very happy with that.”

“I’m trying to keep it a bit low key at the moment…I haven’t told too many people.  But I’m stoked.  I can’t wait.”

Vlastuin was selected with pick No. 9 in last year’s draft, after an impressive season with the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup competition in which he captained the Vic Metro team in the 2012 National Championships.

Since arriving at Tigerland, he has made an instant impact among the players and coaches.

“There’s no doubt he's been in the mix for quite some time," Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said earlier this week.

"He's an impressive individual, there's no doubt.

"He's got some areas of his game he still needs to work on, but I think he's a ready AFL player to a degree.

“He’s very, very hard, which we like, he uses the ball extremely well, and he's only going to get better from here on in."

The final Richmond team to take on the Dockers will be announced at 6.25pm this evening. 

Reece Conca has already been ruled out with a foot injury, while Steve Morris will be absent through suspension.