What Was Richmond Actually Choosing Between Sam Lalor and Jagga Smith?
Updated: 4 days ago
Richmond’s Pick 1 debate has changed. Sam Lalor is still the player the Tigers chose for power, versatility and match-shaping upside, but Jagga Smith now owns the stronger early AFL résumé — including the Rising Star.
That does not turn draft night into a mistake. It does remove the comfort of judging the choice only by what Richmond hoped each teenager might become.
By Year Three, the comparison starts moving from projection to evidence. Lalor does not need to copy Smith’s game or win the same awards, but Richmond did spend its most valuable draft asset on a player it saw as a cornerstone. Role, availability and sustained influence now become harder to separate from the ceiling Richmond bought.
What must Lalor now become for that Pick 1 bet to begin justifying itself on the field?
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