Exciting, young Richmond forward Noah Cumberland has been given a huge tick of approval by Tigers coach Damien Hardwick following his match-winning, display against Brisbane at the MCG today.

Playing just his fifth game of AFL football (and he sat on the bench for the entirety of his debut appearance v Sydney in Round 11), Cumberland was a rare shining light for Richmond early in the contest, as the Lions surged to a 42-point lead during the second quarter.

The 21-year-old scored the Tigers’ opening three goals of the match and finished with a game-high five goals from just six kicks all-up in their rousing seven-point victory.

He has now booted a total of 11 goals in his brief senior playing career with Richmond and is averaging 5.4 score involvements and 2.8 tackles per game.

“That first goal I think he kicked, where he ran through three players, I thought it was Leigh Matthews for a minute, bursting through the pack,” Hardwick said during his post-match press conference.

“I’ve got to give the kid credit – he’s been incredible since he’s come in. He came in a little bit raw. He’s put the work in, he’s self-driven, he’s responsible for his own development. And that, to me, is the mark of him as a player.

“He’s put in a lot of hours to get to where he is today, and he’s reaping the benefits of it.

“He’s only going to get better as well, which is the pleasing thing for us.

“I’m really pleased for him, and I’m pleased for our recruiting staff as well that picked him (Richmond’s second selection and pick 43 overall in the 2019 AFL national draft) . . .

“He was always a beast of a player . . . athletic traits. But probably like most Queensland kids, a little bit slow in the general footy IQ stuff. But he has worked incredibly hard on that part of the game.

“He’s diligent, he’s got his note-pad, he does the work, he watches tape, and he just loves it. So, it’s a credit to him.

“We’ve put a little bit of work with Sam Lonergan (development coach) and those guys around him, but the credit is firmly with Noah on this one. He’s put a power of work in . . .”