In a special series leading up to the 2017 AFL national draft, richmondfc.com.au examines the Tigers’ construction of their drought-breaking premiership team this year via the competition’s main talent acquisition pathway throughout the past decade. This morning, we focus on Richmond’s recruitment of Nick Vlastuin.
Richmond used its first pick (No. 9 overall) in the 2012 national draft on Nick Vlastuin, a strong, courageous, composed, determined, medium defender/midfielder, who had starred at TAC Cup level with the Northern Knights.
Vlastuin captained the Vic Metro team which won the under-18 national championships that year and subsequently gained All-Australian selection on the back of his top-class efforts throughout the carnival.
Successful Vic Metro coach at the time, former Carlton forward Rohan Welsh, likened Vlastuin to a younger version of triple Brisbane premiership captain and Brownlow Medallist, Michael Voss.
“If I had to compare him to an AFL footballer, I would say that he reminds me of a young Michael Voss. He is tough, hard at the footy and the man with the footy, leads by his actions, and uses the ball well,” Welsh said.
“’Tigger’ is just so hard that sometimes you can forget that he is actually a super smart footballer with great skills.
“He is an old-school footballer, who just loves competing and getting the best out of himself and his teammates. He isn’t an athlete, who has been turned into a footballer – he’s quite the opposite . . .
“When I think back over Tigger’s 2012 carnival, where he led us to the title, the one action that stands out in my mind was when he dived across in front of a leading SA forward, who was at speed.
“Most players would have been stretchered off, but Tigger bounced up and, less than a minute later, dived across an opposition player’s boot to lay a smother.
“He led by his actions, not his words and his teammates responded.”
Vlastuin described the emotion he felt when Richmond’s recruiting manager Francis Jackson read his name out, at pick nine in the national draft, as ‘definitely relief, and a lot of excitement as well’.
“’Dimma’ (coach Damien Hardwick) was up on stage with the jumper, then I walked past my mate Aidan Corr, who also wanted to come to Richmond, and gave him a nudge. It was really exciting,” he said.
“Straight after I got my jumper from Dimma, we went out the back and there were probably three or four stations set up, with five cameras each, and a lot of radio.
“So we did that for probably half an hour, but you didn’t get to enjoy it because you were just really nervous about doing media then. After that, I got to go back out and sit with my family.”
After the draft, Vlastuin and his family had dinner with the Richmond contingent.
“It was just exciting. I didn’t take my jumper off and I didn’t want to do anything wrong. Dimma tried to get me to have a beer, but I wouldn’t do it,” he said.
Nick Vlastuin AFL fact file
Debut: Round 5, 2013 v Fremantle, Domain Stadium
Games: 96
Goals: 20
Honours: Winner of the 2013 Cosgrove-Jenkins award as Richmond’s best first-year player, member of the Tigers’ 2017 premiership team
