AFL Supercoach 2026: Richmond Tigers 2026 Squad Analysis

Richmond exceeded expectations last year by winning five matches after hitting the reset button following a successful era under former coach Damien Hardwick. 

Adem Yze is the man in charge now and there’s plenty to like about Richmond’s list profile and direction heading into 2026. 

Can the young Tiger cubs continue their upwards trajectory in 2026? 

Richmond targeted the draft once more, adding exciting midfielders Sam Grlj and Sam Cumming to the squad, while they also sprung one of the surprises of the trade period by making a play for former Cat Patrick Retschko. 

Let’s take a look at Richmond’s SuperCoach prospects for the upcoming season.

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Predicted Round 1 starting team

FB: Josh Gibcus, Ben Miller, Noah Balta

HB: Jayden Short, Nick Vlastuin, Sam Banks

C: Patrick Retschko, Jack Ross, Hugo Ralphsmith
HF: Sam Lalor, Jonty Faull, Taj Hotton
FF: Seth Campbell, Tom Lynch, Rhyan Mansell
FOLL: Toby Nankervis, Jacob Hopper, Tim Taranto

I/C: Nathan Broad, Luke Trainor, Dion Prestia, Mykelti Lefau, Rhyan Mansell

Analysis: There’s youth everywhere you look for the Tigers. Both Grlj and Cumming will push their cases for early debuts throughout the practice matches, while the likes of Jasper Alger, Maurice Rioli jnr and Harry Armstrong are others around the mark. The return of Josh Gibcus from injury will bolster the backline, while Retschko looks a front runner to assume a spot on the wing. Nick Vlastuin remains touch and go for the season opener, while Hugo Ralphsmith has also been dealing with some minor injury issues. 

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Fixtures

Round 1: Carlton (A)

Round 2: Gold Coast (H)

Round 3: Fremantle (A)

Round 4: Port Adelaide (H)

Round 5: GWS Giants (A)
Byes: Round 13

Verdict: You’d imagine the Tigers are a bottom four side again this year, so finding ‘easy’ fixture runs is tricky. Having said that, in the first eight weeks of the season they do face all of Carlton, Port Adelaide, North Melbourne, West Coast and Melbourne, which is a run you could look to cash in on. They share the round 13 bye with the Giants. 

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LOCK

There certainly aren’t any premium options for the Tigers worth starting, but young gun Josh Gibcus ($139,600 DEF) is pushing towards a round 1 place in defence. Gibcus has shown plenty of promise during his AFL career but has been incredibly unlucky on the injury front, meaning he’s a cheap option for our sides this year. Unlike other cheapie options, Gibcus has elite job security, should he stay fit. 

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POINT OF DIFFERENCE

Young gun Sam Lalor ($298,600 FWD) is currently in just over 20 per cent of teams, so he isn’t really a point of difference, but he’s a name who many SuperCoach players are tossing up. Lalor has shone throughout pre-season so far and has been slated as a player who could see an uptick in midfield minutes, but I think he’s a big risk to start in your side.

The Tigers are unlikely to throw Lalor into the guts full-time straight away, which means there will certainly be quarters and games where he’s playing forward in a struggling side. In 11 games during his debut season, he only scored over 79 once. It feels as though there’s far better and safer mid-priced alternatives in the forward line this year. 

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CHEAPIES

Outside of Gibcus, draftee Sam Grlj ($172,000 DEF/MID) has had a strong pre-season off half-back under Adem Yze. Whether he’s there round one remains to be seen, so track his practice match performances closely. Grlj has never been a big ball winner at junior level, but his pace and dash make him an exciting player.

Patrick Retschko ($119,900 MID) looks like he could play early on a wing which makes him a solid option, but don’t start Josh Smillie ($119,900 MID), who is still dealing with injury problems. The highly touted youngster didn’t debut last season and remains on a modified program, he’ll be a mid-season downgrade option I think.

Sam Cumming ($176,500 MID) has been training with the on-ball brigade over summer and there are a host of other cheaply priced fringe Tigers who could be worth a look pending practice games.