REIGNING premier Richmond could be bolstered by the addition of another giant inside midfield bull this season, with first-round draft pick Riley Collier-Dawkins putting on seven kilograms this summer in a bid to earn a place in the side's starting midfield.
Collier-Dawkins now weighs 94kgs and stands at 191cm, with the Tigers confident he will take further strides after a promising development season in the VFL last year.
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Claimed with pick No.20 in the 2018 NAB AFL Draft, Collier-Dawkins impressed throughout 20 VFL appearances last season to average 14.3 disposals, 8.3 contested possessions, 5.1 tackles and 3.7 clearances per game.
His improvement late last year and across pre-season has caught the attention of Richmond coach Damien Hardwick, who can see similarities between the talented 20-year-old and one of the game's premier players.
"Riley has put on about 6-7kgs as a big-bodied midfielder," Hardwick told AFL.com.au.
"It's funny, Trent (Cotchin) was talking about him the other day because he can grab hold of Trent and push him out of the way. It's hard to do that.
"He's had a great pre-season. He looks like the player we thought he could be. He's still got a little bit of work to do. He was a little bit late to mature, so he is going to take some time, but he can do some things that are Paddy Dangerfield-esque.
"He's going to take a little bit of time to get where we need to go, but the great thing about him is that he's improved again over the course of the off-season. It's exciting for us and for Riley himself."
Richmond has a vacant wing position up for grabs heading into its Marsh Community Series games against Collingwood and Greater Western Sydney, with two-time premiership star Brandon Ellis exercising his free agency rights and joining Gold Coast last October.
Collier-Dawkins is one of a number of youngsters challenging for that position, with Hardwick also claiming that fellow first-round draft pick Thomson Dow is "AFL ready" and noting the development of Patrick Naish and Will Martyn across pre-season.
However, while Collier-Dawkins has gained weight in an effort to make his mark at Punt Road, another youngster in Jack Ross has shed the kilograms in order to add to his seven senior games last season and put his hand up for a place on the wing next year.
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"He came into the club in good shape, but he's a big boy," Hardwick said.
"I think he's lost about 7-8kgs since he started, so he's covering the ground really well.
"That was a little bit of a knock on him when we first brought him into the football club, that endurance wasn't a strength of his. But we look at him now, we had him horribly mistaken.
"He runs really, really well. We're excited about what he's going to bring, because he's a first-class kid who oozes leadership, skill and decision-making.
"He's one of those guys who makes players better around him. He's going to be a good player for us for a long time."
