Richmond Reinvented Tom Burton as a Small Forward. Is That Really His 2027 Job?
Tom Burton arrived at Richmond as a high-possession defender-midfielder after building his junior case through running, ball-winning and versatility. Within weeks, Richmond was publicly describing a different footballer: a small forward.
The conversion worked well enough to earn Burton an AFL debut and remained his VFL role long after the novelty of the move had passed. That tells us the experiment was real. It does not tell us whether Richmond has found his final AFL position.
His junior possession game, acceleration and endurance have not disappeared. Richmond also has a growing group of young small forwards competing for similar senior opportunities. So what does Burton have to become that the others are not — and how much of his old defender-midfielder game should the club deliberately reopen in 2027?
The member feature investigates whether Richmond found Burton’s home, found his entry point, or found the first layer of a more useful player.
Not a member yet?
Join here for less than a cup of coffee a month and unlock the full RTSSG experience:
RTSSG.com: Richmond News By Richmond People For Richmond People!
Comments