Tigers won't throw Dusty-like Lalor to the wolves

Yahoo

19-03-2025

Richmond coach Adem Yze can't help but see the similarities between Sam Lalor and Dustin Martin.
But Yze is determined not to throw his prized No.1 draft pick to the wolves, and insists Lalor and his Richmond teammates have already steeled themselves for a tough trip to face Port Adelaide.
Rising Star nominee Lalor, 18, is the talk of the town after kicking two goals from eight score involvements and 18 disposals in Richmond's stirring upset AFL round one win over Carlton.
"We see him every day, and we know the talent that he's got," Yze said.
"There's no secret to the fact that he's a good player, and we knew that that was coming.
"But the way he's handled that, the way he's handled the week. But once again, you can see a steely resolve that he wants to get over and go and have another great game against Port Adelaide.
"He'll test himself against some really good defenders and some really good midfielders. So we'll give him that exposure again."
Lalor's impact as both a dynamic forward and midfielder has already drawn comparisons to retired Tigers great Martin.
Richmond plan to gradually grow Lalor's midfield minutes after a fractured jaw in pre-season.
"We almost need two of him, similar to Dusty, the talent he's got in the front end, and obviously the impact he can have as a midfielder," Yze said.
"I don't want to put that pressure on him, but he's got similar traits to Dusty.
"He will be the best version of Sam Lalor. And in 10 years' time, we'll be talking about Sam Lalor for who he is, not who he played like.
Just the beginning for our Rising Star nominee 🤩 pic.twitter.com/z6qSVUB2uB
— Richmond FC 🐯 (@Richmond_FC) March 17, 2025
"His impact in the front end is good, air and ground. And then when he goes inside, he knows what he's doing, and he's a big boy.
"So we've just got to temper that, make sure we don't throw him to the wolves too early and manage him throughout the year."
The Tigers have to replace spearhead Tom Lynch, who is serving a one-match suspension.
"We'll look at that today, whether it's like-for-like, or whether we go down a different model," Yze said.
"But it's really hard to cover for Lynchy. He's an amazing player and a great leader.
"... Someone's going to have to step up and and lead in the front end. We're going to be really young in our front end this week."
Richmond are confident they have moved on from round one and are ready for Port Adelaide to come out firing at Adelaide Oval on Saturday after a thumping loss to Collingwood.
"I think Carlton were pretty revved up as well," Yze quipped.
"So no, it's every week, you're gonna come up against good teams and whether teams are under the pump or not, there's always outside noise.
"We can't worry about what they're going through. We've just got a plan, and we've got to go and execute it. So we can't wait."