Richmond ruckman Shaun Hampson made a successful return to the playing field with the Tigers’ VFL team against Geelong at Simonds Stadium last Saturday.

Hampson, who had been sidelined since March with a severe back injury, played the first half and moved freely.

He took a couple of marks and dominated at the centre bounces and around-the-ground stoppages, finishing with 28 hit-outs in his limited game time.

“It was good to see ‘Hammer’ get his first run around for a long time,” said Richmond development coach Ryan Ferguson.

“It was just about him getting out there and competing in the ruck.

“He’ll progress well from that.”

Hampson was ranked fifth in the competition last season for hit-outs, with 652, at an average of 32.6 per match.

It’s expected he will progress to more game time at VFL level with the Tigers next weekend.