Riley Collier-Dawkins will make his Richmond debut on Friday night.
The no.20 selection from the 2018 draft has been confirmed to take on the Western Bulldogs in the Round 7 MCG blockbuster.
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick admitted it had been a “slow burn” and as a result a “well-earned” debut for the 21-year-old.
“We always knew when we drafted him that it was going to be a bit of a slow burn and he’s had to work on some things in his game,” Hardwick told reporters.
“He’s incredible around the ball, (but) he has had to work on his off-ball positioning and understanding how to go about getting that off-ball offensively.
“He has worked incredibly hard on that and we’ve started to see some real dividends this year, and even at the back end of last year.
“It’s going to be a well-earned debut from our point of view and we’re really excited to see what he can offer.”
Collier-Dawkins has been in solid form in the VFL this year, winning 30 disposals, eight tackles and six clearances in Round 1 against Sandringham, and 13 touches in the loss to Casey last weekend.
The Oakleigh Chargers and Waverley Blues product played for the Tigers in the AAMI Community Series against Collingwood in March.