RM: Tylar, how are you traveling?

Tylar Young: Good. We just had a big day, we have been at Mykelti's (Lefau family) village, which was unbelievable.

We got to experience true Samoan culture and something you would never get if you came here just as a tourist.

So, feeling incredibly fortunate and am so glad we are here.

RM: You and Mykelti are pretty close aren’t you?

Yeah. Well, Mykelti and I started playing VFL together back in 2021, I think. We met through the VFL and then were both lucky enough to be drafted.

We are really close mates now; our partners are good friends and yeah we spend a lot of time together and are rooming together here (in Samoa).

And yeah, we do everything together when we are back in Melbourne. So, it has been awesome to see his culture and where he has come from.

Mykelti is just such a nice dude, and you can see where he gets it from, because all the people here are amazing.

RM: Could you have imagined back then in 2021 that you two would be AFL teammates?

Not really, no.

Like we both obviously always wanted to get drafted and thought we were good enough to do it. But, yeah, to be on the same team (I would not have imagined).

We are the same age, and both have had very different paths to AFL footy compared to some of the other boys.

So, we share a unique experience, and yeah it is awesome to be here together.

RM: You both quite similarly had success straight away in your AFL careers too, by getting in the AFL team as regular players, but unfortunately then both did your ACL’s. How do you reflect on that to start your AFL career?

Yeah, my first season (2023) was like just a whirlwind. I did not think I would even play senior footy that year.

But we had a few injuries and yeah, I found myself in the side and I was lucky enough to keep my spot for a long time. (19 AFL Games and the Bill Cosgrove/Harry Jenkins Medal as Richmond’s best first year player).

And then, yeah, did my knee (in 2024). It is pretty hard at first, I guess. What is probably harder is talking to people.

I remember talking to my mum and she just like broke down. I was like, no, it will be alright (because I can) take positives out of it and work on other things.

Lucky enough for me, like there has been four or five of us go through it. It is not good for the Club, obviously, but for us boys to have other people to do it (rehab) with, it has been awesome.

RM: And how is the knee going?

It is good. I have been doing some fairly high-speed running and that sort of stuff and am starting to kick a footy around a lot more.

I think I am over the initial slow part, and I get to do sort of the fun training stuff really soon. So, I am on track to get back ASAP.

RM: Have you set a return date?

I think the Club wants 12 months on the dot, so whatever that exact day is. It is the Dreamtime weekend (that the injury occurred), so, yeah, would love to get back for that game.

RM: Did you have any similar injuries when you were playing other sports (Young played soccer and cricket and not football up until 2019). Or was this a first?

I have done my shoulder since I have been here (at Richmond). But other than that, no not really, to be honest. Little niggly injuries and stuff like that, but nothing like this.

It has been hard to come to terms with it, but it's all good.

RM: And you are still working with the backs?

Yep, we have got ‘Moz’ (Former VFL Head Coach- Steve Morris) there now. It has been awesome.

I get on really well with all those boys and cannot wait to get back out there with them.

RM: What have you made of Luke Trainor? Who is probably the only of the draftees that would be training with you in defence?

He is a really good dude… Vibrant, wants to learn, wants to get better and just watching his tapes and the vision that we go through after training, he looks like he is coming along in leaps and bounds. (He is) learning our system, learning how to be a Richmond Man and a Richmond defender and I think he is definitely one for the future.

RM: And what has been your highlight of this trip to Samoa?

The school visit was unbelievable. The kids just love sport, which probably is pretty rare now back in Australia, like everyone's on their gaming and that sort of stuff.

But these kids they just want to kick the footy. They had never heard of it and never done it before, and by the end of the session we were doing tram tracks (handballs), ‘speckies’ and all that sort of stuff.

Yeah, it is unbelievable just how much they love sport and are willing to try and do whatever is put in front of them and give it their best effort.