He can soar for a mark like Michael Roach.
He is as elusive as Maurice Rioli Sr.
He has the speed of Michael Mitchell.
He can burst from a centre bounce like Geoff Raines.
He can roost the ball like Jim Jess.
He has the goal sense of Kevin Bartlett.
He is Shai Bolton . . . the most gifted player I have witnessed in nearly 60 years of Yellow and Black barracking.
He is not the best Richmond player I have seen, but in terms of his overall football skill set, in my opinion, he is unrivalled at Tigerland.
Bolton, who will reach the AFL 100-game milestone in Saturday night’s Dreamtime at the ‘G’ blockbuster, is the very definition of a footballing excitement machine.
Recruited by Richmond with its first pick (No. 29 overall) in the 2016 AFL national draft, the small forward/midfielder from South Fremantle has become a fan favourite of the Tiger Army due to his dazzling playing style.
Twenty-nine times in his 99 games so far, Bolton has kicked multiple goals, with a best return of four against Fremantle, Round 8, 2019, Optus Stadium, and v Port Adelaide, Round 21, 2022, Adelaide Oval.
On 11 occasions, he has had the elite numbers of 20-plus disposals and two or more goals in a game.
In 2022, the dual premiership Tiger scored an AFL season-high 43 goals, earned an inaugural All Australian blazer, and finished fourth in the Jack Dyer Medal for a third consecutive year.
So far this season, Bolton is averaging 20.4 disposals and 1.2 goals per game.
At just 24 years of age, Shai Bolton’s best football is still probably ahead of him, which is a scary thought for opposition teams, but extremely exciting for those of the Yellow and Black persuasion.
