Former Collingwood defender Jonathon Marsh will suit up in the yellow and black in 2019, as he joins Richmond’s VFL side.

The 23-year-old retired from AFL at the end of 2016, and after two years in the WAFL with East Fremantle, has returned to Melbourne to renew his career. 

The explosive tall, who proved himself as a reliable defender during his time at the Magpies, said he was grateful for the opportunity to start fresh at Tigerland.

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“Moving to Melbourne, I really wanted to get to Richmond,” he said. 

“It’s great to be here, starting training, and seeing how the boys operate and how professional they are… I’m very blown away at the standards that they set.

“Everyone’s been really welcoming to me, and the coaches and players have been fantastic.”

Marsh is particularly eager to be back under the guidance of VFL coach Craig ‘Fly’ McRae, who he worked closely with during his time at Collingwood.

“As soon as I realised I could come back and play some VFL, Richmond was my destination, purely because of Craig McRae,” he said. 

“I developed a very close relationship with him over the two years we spent at Collingwood, so, to get here, he was stoked, I was stoked.”

Excited to build on his versatility, Marsh expects to encompass a mix of roles for the Tigers.

“Craig has said I might be playing a variety of roles which I’m quite excited for,” he said.

“I’ve been mostly a defender throughout my career so I wouldn’t mind playing a couple of different roles.”

The VFL Tigers will travel to Safety Beach this weekend for their annual pre-season camp.

“I’m very excited, I think it will be a great opportunity and I’m really keen to start getting to know my teammates at a deeper level,” Marsh said.