Richmond’s first pick in the 2019 AFL national draft, Thomson Dow, will make his senior debut against West Coast at Metricon Stadium on Thursday night.
The talented, versatile 18-year-old from Swan Hill and Bendigo Pioneers under-18s team, has been on the verge of senior selection for a few weeks due to the impressive form he’s displayed in scrimmage games for the Tigers in their Queensland hub.
After hearing the news on Tuesday evening, Dow said the reality had begun to sink in overnight.
"I'm pretty keen. The news was delivered last night which gave me the chance to sleep on it.
"I'm pretty keen to get out there and rapt with the opportunity."
The second debutant for the Tigers in 2020, coach Damien Hardwick said he was excited to see what the young midfielder could bring.
"He's our first round pick from last year and he's going to run out for the mighty Yellow and Black, so we're very excited to see how young Thomson goes," Hardwick said.
"He's going to get a fair initiation against one of the form sides of the competition in the West Coast Eagles.
"We think he can learn on the run. We think he's going to be a really good player for us over a long period of time, so we're excited to give him the opportunity."
“Thomson's been really good,” Richmond assistant coach Xavier Clarke said recently.
“He's got great agility around the ball, he's played on the wing and at times on-ball, and we've seen some of the things he can do really well.
“When he does get the ball, he explodes from the stoppage or contest, and he's got really good pace.
“We've been impressed with what he's been doing . . .”
