AFL 2025: Taj Hotton did not see Richmond selection coming

Injured midfielder Taj Hotton was convinced he was headed west before Richmond pounced to make him part of a bumper first-round draft haul full of his “best mates”.

Hotton said he was still in disbelief on Thursday after being snapped up at pick 12 following a draft year cruelled by a nightmare ACL injury during a school football training session in May.

The speedy 182cm prospect from the Sandringham Dragons believed he was destined to land at West Coast or Fremantle, which held picks 16 and 17 on Wednesday night.

“I thought I was going to Perth for sure, so it was a great surprise. When I heard my name, I couldn’t believe it – I had no clue, my family had no clue – it was the best surprise I’ve ever had,” Hotton said.

“I couldn’t have scripted it any better. I’ve got heaps of my best mates here – I’ve played basketball and footy with (pick 23) Harry Armstrong for as long as I can remember.

“We’ve got a great group of boys, and I can’t really believe how it’s all unfolded, but I’m so grateful.”

Hotton, 18, said he was hopeful of running for the first time since his ACL injury next week but expected to be managed cautiously by the Tigers with a view to returning to ball work in the new year.

He said he was acutely aware of how tough it was to establish an AFL career after watching his elder brother Olli’s time at St Kilda over 2023-24 that came to an end with his delisting three weeks ago.

Olli Hotton was taken with pick 35 in the 2022 draft but struggled with injuries in his first season and failed to break through for a senior debut.

“I’ve probably learnt about how much work you have to put into it. The AFL is a tough organisation at times for people, if you’re caught on the back end of it,” Taj Hotton said.

“So I’ve learnt to get on the front foot with everything, and use all your resources.

“Hopefully, everything pans out for (Olli) in the future, but I’ve learnt a lot from him about hard work and what it takes to become a good player.”

No.1 pick Sam Lalor said on Thursday he was most looking forward to playing with Hotton at Richmond after coming through the AFL academy ranks with him.

Lalor said arriving at an AFL club alongside such a large cohort of draftees had eased some of the pressure of expectation on the top pick.

“Not all the spotlight is on me, being the No.1 pick, because I’ve got so many boys coming in with me, so I can’t wait to see how we go,” Lalor said.

“I’ve got a good relationship with all the boys – it’s going to be awesome.”