UNFASHIONABLE Richmond ruckman Toby Nankervis should be considered among the competition's elite in his position, coach Damien Hardwick says.
Nankervis had a tough task on Collingwood counterpart Brodie Grundy and finished with 17 hit-outs to the Magpie's 33, and was losing the battle early.
However, he improved as the game wore on and played a mammoth hand in the final term to post career-highs in disposals (29), marks (10) and inside-50s (seven), helping the Tigers to a 43-point victory at the MCG.
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"I nearly had a heart attack when Nank had 29 possessions. Bloody hell. I thought Nank was terrific," Hardwick said.
"Don't get me wrong, Grundy's a fantastic player as well. I know people speak about the (Max) Gawns and the (Todd) Goldsteins and Grundy – I'm pumped we've got our bloke.
"He just competes. He's like another midfielder in there. Does he get beaten in ruck contests? Yeah. Does he give everything? Absolutely.
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"He's a fantastic player and a fantastic person. He's been a godsend for our footy club."
Not that the lack of attention would bother the former Swan, who slipped to No.35 in the 2013 NAB AFL Draft before being traded at the end of 2016 in an exchange for a third-round selection.
"(Grundy) has (been in good form) but our guy's been doing the same. He goes a little bit unheralded, which he likes. He's very low-key but he's very highly regarded within our system," Hardwick said.
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Ivan Soldo will likely come in for a few games to ease the load on Nankervis, as he did last year when he played seven games.
Not that Hardwick is looking forward to making that call.
"Soldo's been in terrific form down at the lower level. Mabior Chol's been very good also. At some stage, we'll probably see them come in," Hardwick said.
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"Nank's one of those guys – he loves the work. You (reporter) can ring up and tell him that he's playing forward."
While the Tigers escaped without injury, Hardwick predicted the five-day turnaround after playing on Anzac Day eve could soon catch up to his side, with Fremantle to come next Sunday at the MCG.
"I reckon next week is where we'll start to see the damage from the encounter, so to speak. We've had two really tough games so we'll nurse our boys through," Hardwick said.
The premiership coach was glowing in his praise of Collingwood, who brought the fight before being run over in the final term.
"I thought they were the best side we've played this year, with their pressure and their ability to hunt around the contest," Hardwick said.
Richmond was dominated in round two by Adelaide, going down by 36 points and being thrashed in contested possessions by 48 at Adelaide Oval.
