Talented former rugby league junior Mykelti Lefau has promised to bring a unique brand of aggression to the AFL after earning a spot on Richmond's rookie list.
The New Zealand-born forward has trained with the Tigers over summer and edged out East Perth's Mitch Schofield for the last available list spot.
Both players took part in Richmond's practice match against Melbourne on Sunday and Lefau immediately made his presence felt.
The 195cm, 96kg prospect delivered a brutal bump on experienced Demons defender Jake Lever and caught the eye with a clever goal.
Lefau's AFL call-up comes after he spent time in NRL club Melbourne Storm's development pathway following his move to Australia from Auckland in 2012.
"All the boys know what I can do in that (physical) sense, so I just try to bring that to the best of my ability because I know I can do it," the 26-year-old Lefau told reporters on Monday.
"If anyone's there I'll put my body on the line for the boys.
"The toughness maybe (is from my rugby league background) but there's all that technical stuff as well.
"You've got to be smart with it and that was a big learning curve for me, trying to get my body in the right position because you don't want to injure someone or get in trouble."
Lefau enters AFL ranks with a reputation, having kicked 25 goals in a single game with amateur club St Kilda City's U19s team in 2016.
More recently, Lefau featured 11 times for Richmond's VFL side last season after recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and has trained with the AFL team over summer.
He counts teammate Marlion Pickett among his football mentors and now has his sights on an AFL debut in 2024, as the Tigers embark on their first season under new coach Adem Yze.
"One hundred per cent (a senior game) is the goal," Lefau said.
"First and foremost it was to get this contract and the next step now is trying to get a debut.
"After that it's about my consistency to stay in the team."
Lefau joins last season's mid-season draftee James Trezise and Tylar Young as players elevated from the Tigers' VFL program to the AFL in recent years.
Essendon's Sam Durham, Hawthorn's Massimo D'Ambrosio and ex-Bomber Garret McDonagh have also been drafted out of the VFL program since 2021, while Jake Aarts played 42 AFL games for Richmond.
Meanwhile, Hawthorn have signed emerging defender Ethan Phillips to cover the loss of key back James Blanck, who is out for the year because of a knee injury sustained during match practice last week.
Phillips was one of the VFL's premier defenders over the last two years with Port Melbourne and was signed to play with the Hawks' state league affiliate Box Hill this season.
The 24-year-old, 196cm backman was named in the VFL team of the year in 2022 and claimed the prestigious Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the competition's best young talent.
The last 17 winners of the medal have now been drafted into the AFL system.
North Melbourne have handed their final list spot to tall forward Tyler Sellers, who shone in the club's VFL team last year.
