Naismith to make Tigers debut

Sam Naismith during a ruck contest in Richmond's AFL pre-season match against Collingwood. Image: AFL Photos

GUNNEDAH product Sam Naismith is set to play his first AFL game in 1,353 days when he plays his first game for Richmond on Saturday.

The ruckman has been selected to play in the Tigers’ Opening Round clash against Gold Coast on Saturday afternoon.

The last time the 31-year old played at AFL level was on 25 June 2020 when Naismith played for the Sydney Swans against the Western Bulldogs.

After being delisted by the Swans at the end of 2022, Naismith joined VFL club Port Melbourne in 2023 and showed enough to attract interest from several AFL clubs looking for a readymade ruckman.

The Tigers pounced and Naismith will now resume a stop-start AFL career that was interrupted by injuries in nine seasons with the Swans.