In the wake of the announcement of two-time Tiger premiership star Liam Baker’s two-year contract extension at the Club, Richmond Media’s Grace Kalac spoke with him about the re-signing, his time at Tigerland thus far and future Yellow and Black aspirations.

GK: How does it feel to be a Tiger for two more years?

LB: “It’s been a long year trying to get it all sorted but made the right decision in the end and I’m rapt to be here. I love the Club, I love the boys, and it’s a great place to be . . . I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

GK: What was it about Richmond that made you want to stay?

LB: “It’s the best club in the land. We have a lot of fun every day and we like playing good footy on the weekends. The Club supports me 100 percent all the time and I just wanted to repay the faith that they showed in me five years ago now. So, I’m stoked.”

GK: You arrived at Tigerland as a rookie, now you’re a two-time premiership player. Did you expect your career to play out that way?

LB: “Definitely not. I’ve said plenty of times that at the time it felt it was a bit of a rough road getting here, but it worked out the best. And getting picked a couple of years later in the rookie draft worked out perfectly. I just got to the right place at the right time, and we’ve still got more in us, I think, over the next few years. So, I’m excited about where the Club’s heading . . .”

GK: You’ve got a lot of close mates here. You must be pleased to be continuing the journey with them?

LB: “We’re a very, very tight group, the whole list, and it doesn’t matter how many games you’ve played, or who you are, everyone gets along well. And it’s just, like I said earlier, a great place to be day-to-day . . .”

GK: You’re known as a bit of a Mr Fixit within the side. Is that part of your game that you pride yourself on?

LB: “It’s funny. Shane Edwards playing his 300^th this weekend, he probably doesn’t know that he was a big part of me early in my career, watching him do that type of role, playing forward, back, midfield, wing, wherever he had to be. And I really respected the way he went about it. So, that’s what I tried to model my game on. Over the past few years, I’ve been thrown around a bit, but I love it. I love trying to help the team and do whatever to win on the weekend.”

GK: What are you hoping to bring to the side, on and off the field, over the next two years?

LB: “Hopefully, just continue to improve on the field, but off the field just be more of a leader than I have been over the past few years. A lot of the other boys are capable of doing that as well. So, hopefully I can step up with them because we’ve got a lot of senior boys who are very good leaders at this club. I need to grow and take over that void . . .”