Richmond coach Damien Hardwick liked what he saw from mature-age recruit Matt Parker in the former St Kilda player’s debut for the Tigers against Brisbane at Metricon Stadium last Friday night.

Parker, who was Richmond’s pick in this year’s AFL mid-season rookie draft, following a 19-game career with the Saints, had 12 disposals, four inside-50s, five score involvements, an equal game-high seven tackles, 355 metres gained and took four marks in the team’s 20-point win.

The 25-year-old certainly showed enough to suggest he could be a valuable long-term contributor for the Tigers at senior level.

“I thought he was really good,” Hardwick said.

“He’s quite dynamic, Matty.

“The things he does in and around the contest are really strong.

“He wins the ball, he uses it really well.

“We probably played him a little bit earlier than we thought because there’s some structure and system stuff he’s still learning.

“But he was pretty dynamic through the middle of the ground and then he went forward and provided a good conduit at various stages as well.

“So, it was a really promising debut, and we’re looking forward to him to continue with that next week versus Geelong, hopefully.”