Thomas Ingleton
Richmond has secured a key piece of its future, with young gun Campbell Gray signing a one year contract extension with the club.
Gray, who was the 16th pick in the mid-season rookie draft, played local football at Keilor just last year.
Gray kicked 10 goals from his Victorian Football Leaguem matches at the club, with a standout performance of four goals against Carlton before a season-ending hamstring injury
Gray said while he would love the chance to debut for the Tigers, his main priority for now is to get his body right for 2025.
“Stay fit is the number one goal but just learning as much as possible, learning the system and just trying to put my best foot forward, having an AFL pre-season I think is going to hold me in good stead,” he said.
Gray said the decision to put pen to paper was an easy one and has loved the encouragement he has received from everyone at the club.
“It’s been awesome just trying to soak in everything and learn as much as possible from the older boys, it has been a good experience so far.”
“The club pride themselves on being a family and it’s definitely shown, the support from everyone is just amazing.”
For Gray, the extension gives him an opportunity to make his debut and solidify the 195 centimetre player’s spot in the team.
He believes the best aspect of his game is his ability to play several roles as a utility and that has helped shape him as a player.
“I think playing local and having a different role there, playing multiple roles there, I think that’s helped me transition into VFL.
I’ve been able to play different types of games and more so key positions.”
Gray said he is keen to continue developing as a player this year, despite currently being in the rehab group he is aiming to come back better for next season.
“Unfortunately there’s a few injured boys but having a couple of the ACL boys showing me the roots and the coaches helping me has been amazing.”
Richmond football talent general manager Blair Hartley said Gray showed significant development throughout season 2024.
“Campbell is a great character who has worked incredibly hard since joining our football program mid-year, ” he said.
“His versatility gives our coaching staff plenty of options, and we look forward to him continuing to develop as a player in 2025.”
