In the lead-up to the 2022 AFL national draft to be held on November 28-29, with Richmond currently holding picks 53 and 63, Tony Greenberg has compiled a list of the Tigers’ all-time top 10 draft selections over pick 50. We are counting them down from 10 to one, with Jack Graham coming in today at No. 6.
Jack Graham was Richmond’s second selection, pick 53 overall, in the 2016 national draft.
The talented, strongly-built, hard-working midfielder had played a senior game with his SANFL club North Adelaide in 2015 at just 17 years of age.
A year later, Graham captained the South Australian side at the national under-18 championships and he won the Larke Medal as the carnival’s best player.
Following a string of impressive performances at VFL level with the Tigers in his 2017 debut season, Graham was given a senior opportunity in Round 22 against Fremantle at Perth’s Domain Stadium.
He really made his presence felt on debut with 13 disposals, four inside-50s, a goal, and an equal first-game AFL record of 11 tackles, as Richmond romped to a 104-point victory.
Just over a month later, in only his fifth appearances at the game’s highest level, Graham had a major impact on the game’s biggest stage.
In the 2017 Grand Final against Adelaide, the then 19-year-old kicked a game-high three goals and also performed an important run-with role on Rory Sloane after being moved on to the Crows star.
Graham’s impressive display on that one day in September 2017 was a key factor in the Tigers breaking their 37-year premiership drought.
Two years on, when Richmond made the Grand Final against Greater Western Sydney, Graham was sidelined with a dislocated shoulder.
He sustained the injury in the first quarter of the Tigers’ preliminary final clash with Geelong the previous week, but bravely played out the match, even laying five tackles, despite being severely hampered.
When Richmond made it back-to-back premierships with victory over the Cats in the historic 2020 Grand Final at the Gabba in Brisbane, Graham again was a valuable contributor with 17 disposals, 10 contested possessions, six score involvements and five tackles.
The following year, Graham achieved his best result in the Jack Dyer Medal, finishing equal second.
Graham, with his hard, two-way-running, fierce competitive spirit and capacity to create opportunities for teammates, is an integral member of the Tigers line-up.
