Tim Taranto has made the best start to his career at Richmond in the first half of this season by any Tiger player recruited from a rival AFL club that I can recall during the corresponding time frame.

The star midfielder, traded to the Tigers from Greater Western Sydney at the end of last season, is clearly the team’s best player up to the midway mark of the 2023 season and almost certainly would have a big lead in the Jack Dyer Medal count.

Taranto has maintained an extremely high level of performance over the course of the 11 home-and-away rounds so far.

He is averaging 30.8 disposals, 13.2 contested possessions, 6.8 clearances, 3.3 centre clearances, 4.3 inside-50s, 4.5 marks, 6.6 score involvements, 6.9 tackles and 402.3 metres gained per match.

Seven times this season, Taranto has had the most disposals in a match by a Richmond player. And seven times he’s racked up 30 disposals or more.

Competition-wide, he is ranked second for disposals, fourth for centre clearances, sixth for tackles and seventh for total clearances.

He’s also averaging nearly a goal a game, following his AFL equal career-high four-goals in yesterday’s clash with Port Adelaide at the MCG.

Taranto’s display against the Power was his best of what has been a superb individual season to this stage of the year.

With a game-high 33 disposals, 12 contested possessions, six marks, four inside-50s, four rebound-50s, seven clearances, a game-high three centre clearances, four goals, eight score involvements, seven tackles and 422 metres gained, Taranto was outstanding.

Having 30-plus disposals and kicking four or more goals in a game of AFL football are elite statistical numbers.

When you consider that Richmond superstar Dustin Martin has achieved this feat only twice in his magnificent career at Tigerland, it further highlights just how good Taranto was yesterday.

The likes of Ian Stewart, Barry Rowlings, Paul Sproule, Paul Broderick, Nathan Brown, Bachar Houli and Dion Prestia all had impressive instant impacts with Richmond after being recruited from other League clubs.

But I reckon Taranto has them all covered in terms of what he’s produced in the first half of his debut season for the Tigers.

Taranto’s Tiger teammate Jayden Short paid him a glowing tribute in a post-match interview with Richmond Media.

“He’s been awesome since he came across from the Giants,” Short said.

“His training has been second to none and his performance on the weekends is just amazing.

“We’re very lucky to have him, to be honest, and very grateful that he plays for us.

“He’s very inspiring in the way he goes about it.”