Richmond’s ‘ball-magnet’ midfielder, Shane Tuck, appears set to cap an extremely impressive comeback at the game’s highest level in 2012 with another top-five placing in the Jack Dyer Medal.

Tuck has finished in the top five of the Club’s Best and Fairest count on four occasions previously.  He was runner-up in 2008, third in 2005 and 2007, and fifth in 2010.

The 30-year-old veteran of 157 league games, also had a seventh placing in 2009, and was 10th in 2006.

Last year, when Tuck could cobble together only 10 senior appearances, was the only time since his debut with Richmond in the second half of the 2004 season, that he had not managed a top-10 Best and Fairest finish.

From being on the verge of retirement at the end of a frustrating 2011 season, Tuck has bounced back superbly in 2012.

He is averaging 26.1 disposals per game, which is up on his overall career average of 23.7, and he’s also averaging an impressive 6.2 tackles per game (up on his career average of 3.8 per game).

On 15 occasions this year, Tuck has had 20 disposals or more in a match, with a season-high 35 against his old club, Hawthorn, at the MCG in Round 9.
Tuck also is ranked third in the competition for total handballs (245) and fourth for total tackles (105).

He again was one of the Tigers’ best, in last Saturday night’s four-point loss to Carlton at the MCG, with 31 disposals (16 kicks, 15 handballs), three marks, five tackles, and two valuable goals.