Richmond assistant coach Ben Rutten provides ‘Roar Vision’ with an insight into the impressive rise of top Tiger defender Nick Vlastuin.
Instant impact
“He was built like a man when he came to the footy club (pick 9 overall in the 2012 national draft) and that’s always really helpful. I came to the Club (end of 2014) and he was already a really highly regarded player.”
Strong progression
“I think every year he’s got better and better . . . He’s been able to really cement himself and become an integral part of that back six. He’s got a really calm head and he’s strong in the contest, which we love about him. And he’s a really smart ball user as well.”
Midfield move
“We know what he can do down in defence and we thought maybe we could play him a little bit through the midfield and have a bit of a rotation there. But I think we just understood his value down in defence. When he was in the midfield he did a good job there, but we really missed him in defence. He’s happy . . . he understands the role that he plays in the team there.”
Elite intercept ability
“He’s such a good ball-winner back off the opposition, which is really important, especially when you’re able to take the ball from a mark . . . He’s got the ability to win genuine one-on-ones. And he’s also got the ability to read (the play) and work off his man and help his teammates. He balances out ‘Rancey’ (Alex Rance), Dave (David Astbury) and ‘Grimesy’ (Dylan Grimes) and also our running half-backs. He’s a good intermediate player between those two lines.”
Successful shift forward v St Kilda, Round 10
“The game probably wasn’t going on our terms . . . We needed someone to be able to win a contest and take a mark in our forward line. We put Nick up there and he ended up with three goals. That was a little bit of an unknown. We weren’t quite sure what we were going to get, but he’s got that great flexibility to be able to do that.”
Good leadership qualities
“He’s pretty calm, composed and considered about what he does. He knows all the answers to everything and he’s a real leader, especially for that younger group, connecting him with some of the more experienced players.”
