Richmond is confident talented teenager Nick Vlastuin will still manage to have an impact in games at the business end of his first season of AFL football.
Vlastuin made his league debut for the Tigers in the Round 5 clash with Fremantle at Patersons Stadium and has missed just one game since (15 games all-up).
The 19-year-old, who was Richmond’s first pick in the 2012 National Draft (No. 9 overall), is averaging 16.2 disposals per game and 4.3 marks, he’s kicked nine goals, and received an AFL Rising Star nomination along the way.
“I think his body will be fine and he’ll handle the rigours,” Richmond assistant coach Justin Leppitsch said on SEN.
“Form always fluctuates with kids. We tend to look at their positives in their first year, because we haven’t got anything to compare them to. As their career go on, you start to iron out the little chinks in their game.
“Nick’s had some games where he’s been quieter, but he’s going to be a long-term player for us. So we’ll continue to play him and back him in, whether it be on the half-back line, where he’s been recently, or I think he’ll eventually be an inside ‘mid’, which is his ultimate strength.”