Richmond’s late-season, on-field experimentation offered Tiger fans hope for the future, in last Saturday’s clash with St Kilda at the MCG.
In what was a forgettable match, overall, with numerous mistakes made by both sides, the introduction of two young talls up forward by the Tigers engendered some excitement among the Yellow and Black faithful.
Debutant Callum Moore (19), and Todd Elton (23), who was playing just his third senior game in five seasons of league football at Richmond, both showed glimpses of their undoubted ability.
Moore, after a slow start, worked his way into the match during the second half. He showcased his mobility, took a few marks, and finished off with a late goal.
Elton clunked seven marks, including a game-high four contested grabs, scored his first goal in league football, and provided a strong contest up forward throughout.
“We’re trying some young blokes up forward, which is new and exciting. But they’re going to take some time,” Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said in his post-game press conference.
“Callum Moore probably dropped his first three marks today, but we can see with his speed and intensity he’s going to be an okay player, I think for us. It was good for him to kick a goal today.
“Toddy Elton takes four contested marks . . . probably drops one of the easiest marks I’ve seen, in the goal-square, but showed some signs.
“He probably should have kicked three (goals), really . . . dropped that one (mark) in the goal-square, and kicked 1.1.”