Tough inside midfielder Matt Thomas has expressed his delight at obtaining an upgrade from Richmond’s rookie list to senior list, on the eve of the 2014 season.

Thomas, who was taken by the Tigers at pick 42 overall in the AFL’s rookie draft late last year, after an 87-game career at rival league club Port Adelaide, has been elevated, along with mature-age ruckman Orren Stephenson.

“I’m really happy.  It’s an exciting time to be around the Club, and to get the promotion at this time of the year, with the season ahead of me, it’s really exciting,” he told ‘Roar Vision’.

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“I just tried to have a great pre-season and left it in the hands of the coaching staff.  To their credit, they’ve helped me along and improved my game.

“Here we are, at Round 1, and getting an opportunity by being upgraded, which is terrific.”

There’s been increasing speculation, following Thomas’ robust performances in the pre-season matches, that he may find himself thrust into a negating role on Gold Coast’s reigning Brownlow Medallist Gary Ablett in Saturday night’s opening round clash at Metricon Stadium.

“I’ll take any opportunity I get.  If it’s this week, it’s this week, and that’d be really exciting.  Any opportunity to play on a player of his calibre would be a great opportunity, so we’ll see how we go,” Thomas said.

Thomas, who capped off an excellent 2013 season with SANFL club Norwood, by winning the Magarey Medal, has a strong team focus at Tigerland.

“I’m just sitting down with the coaching staff each week – Danny Daly, ‘Wilbur’ (Mark P. Williams), ‘Choco’ (Mark M. Williams) and ‘Dimma’ (Damien Hardwick), and just working out basically my role, and what I can do for the team,” he said.

“If I can do that weekly, then that’d be my target.  But I’m not trying to look too far ahead yet.”