SAM LALOR is primed for an expanded midfield role in his second season at Richmond after the 2024 No.1 pick underwent hamstring surgery last July, following an interrupted debut year. 

The 19-year-old played 10 of the first 11 games of 2025 before straining his hamstring against Geelong in his first game back from the same injury in round 17, which ultimately required surgery after another hamstring strain curtailed his draft year.

Lalor returned to full training at Punt Road just ahead of the Christmas break and completed a comprehensive pre-season at Punt Road, amid a challenging run of injuries for others from that 2024 draft class.

Richmond coach Adem Yze plans to use him in the midfield more after Lalor averaged 5.8 centre bounce attendances last year, behind now two-time Jack Dyer Medallist Tim Taranto (21.5), Jacob Hopper (21.2), Dion Prestia (17.4) and Jack Ross (8.8). 

"Compared to last year, he's 10 times better (prepared for the season). Last year, I think he only punched out 30 or 40 per cent of pre-season, whereas this year he's done the majority of it," Yze told AFL.com.au inside the Swinburne Centre on Thursday.

"We've had to hold him back. We've trained him as a midfielder, understanding that we know what he can do when he's forward, but we want him to get some more exposure, like he got a small sample size last year. Go and do some centre bounces. But after that he would flip and wouldn't really play midfield time, whereas this this pre-season we feel like he can go and punch out a good rotation as a midfielder, rather than just pinch hit. 

"I'm hoping it's a more even balance (midfield/forward) because we want him wherever the ball is; we want him around the ball; and when we kick it in, it would be nice to have him down there as well. The main thing you want is a nice amount of pre-season completed and he's done that."

Richmond selected six players in the first-round of the 2024 AFL Draft and all have played senior football except for Josh Smillie, while Tom Sims was the first player selected on night two and he played 11 games in 2025. 

Smillie is still a couple of months away from being available to play again after suffering another soft tissue setback last weekend in his quad, following surgery on the same muscle late last year after being limited to just four VFL games in his debut season. 

"Obviously he's frustrated, as we all are and disappointed," Yze said. "The good thing about Josh is obviously he's had the operation and that isn't the issue. So that we understand. That's a positive that that wasn't a part or that wasn't the part of the muscle that obviously had the little strain; it was above that, and that can happen, it's pretty common. 

"It was a Saturday session where he's obviously just kicked the ball a little bit hard and felt it go. We've obviously got our arms around him right now. We understand how talented he is and we can't wait to get him out there. But his journey has just been a little bit different. He's dealt with a fair bit at the start of his career. Others deal with it in the middle. 

"Taj Hotton's going through exactly the same. He's come in and played a handful of games last year and he's obviously had a bit of a hip flare up; that doesn't change how wee him, how we see Josh doesn't change the fact that he's a massive part of our future. We've got to look after him, and obviously the next ten years is more important than the next ten weeks."

Draftee Sam Cumming will require surgery on his shoulder this year, it is just a matter of when. Yze is hopeful the 2025 pick No.7 can play some football before then after an eye-catching first pre-season at the Swinburne Centre. 

Cumming will spend the next month strengthening his shoulder after suffering a subluxation against Melbourne in the AAMI Community Series, following a similar incident in the SANFL last August. 

"He'll need surgery at some stage," he said.

"He hurt it late last year in August, this wasn't anywhere near as bad as what the previous injury was; we could have taken a real cautious approach and let's operate right now. That probably finishes this season, but just to reward the kid for his pre-season, we'll give him four weeks, to strengthen it up and give him the opportunity that if he feels confident to go out there, and if our doctors feel confident that it's going to last the season, that we'll give it a go. 

"We won't ever put him at risk. If we feel like at that four-week mark that this is probably too risky and it's probably going to go and it's still unstable, well then we're never going to put him at that risk. I couldn't look at his parents in the eye if that was the case. 

"The three months that he's been here, we understand how important he's going to be. He's a terrific kid, who has worked so hard. Our players can't wait to play with him just because of what he's been able to show in a small amount of time that he's been here. We'll never jeopardise his future, but at the same time, we want to reward him for what he's done so far and if it means he gets a chance to go and play this season, we'll give him that chance."

Richmond exceeded expectations in Yze's second season at the helm, winning five games after two in 2024, following the departures of Daniel Rioli, Shai Bolton, Liam Baker and Jack Graham, as well as the retirements of Dustin Martin, Dylan Grimes and Marlion Pickett. 

Growth will be measured by exposure of youth this winter, as much as wins. Unfortunately for Yze, so many of the young guns picked in recent years haven't been able to stay on the park. 

"It takes time to feel like you belong on an AFL field. Very rarely like Sammy Lalor you're going to walk in and feel like you belong like he does straight away. The majority of the time you're feeling like it takes 20, 30, 40 games to feel like you get the speed of the game and now I belong on an AFL field," he said.

"Individually you obviously need that. But collectively, we need those guys playing together like Jonty [Faull] and Harry Armstrong need to play together, so the synergy of Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead playing together, there's one thing they learn individually on what it feels like to play AFL, but playing together is really important. The more opportunities we get those boys, to play together the better. 

"You look down back and most team defences or good defences like Brisbane – Brisbane's backline have probably played 150 games together – we've got to get 50 games together with a few of our younger lads. So that's the most frustrating part, let alone the individual that you're worried about and you'd love to for them to be out there. But that synergy element is really important as well."

Richmond starts its 2026 campaign on Thursday night against Carlton at the MCG.

Subscribe to the Your Coach podcast to listen to Josh Gabelich's full interview with Richmond coach Adem Yze next week.