Richmond captain Toby Nankervis laughs off suggestions the sight of Sam Naismith walking in the door at Richmond might have given him chills.
Naismith's hold on a ruck spot at Sydney, of course, was a significant part of the reason Nankervis left the Harbour City in search of greater opportunities seven years ago.
History shows the move paid off in spades, with Nankervis playing a key role in three premierships in a golden period for the Tigers, before taking over the captaincy.
The unlucky Naismith, meanwhile, endured three knee reconstructions throughout an injury-riddled decade at Sydney.
He spent last year in the VFL with Port Melbourne, before joining Richmond as a delisted free agent last month.
The 31-year-old's arrival will add some pressure for spots among the Tigers' big men, but Nankervis has welcomed the recruit with open arms.
"He's a great fella and we've got a great relationship, and it's funny how footy works sometimes," Nankervis told reporters on Wednesday.
"He's really keen to play, Sam. He's not here to play VFL, he wants to play AFL.
"So he's really hungry and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do.
"It's been really competitive (at training) and we're close off the field, but we're really pushing ourselves out on the training track."
Naismith, who played just 30 games over 10 seasons with Sydney, effectively replaces Ivan Soldo at Richmond after the latter was traded to Port Adelaide.
The inexperienced Samson Ryan and Ben Miller are the Tigers' other ruck options.
"I think (competition) is a really healthy thing and in the ruck environment there are limited spots in the team," Nankervis said.
"It's great because it makes us all better. You never want to get comfortable in any role and I've never been comfortable, so I'm looking forward to the challenge again."
Star forward Tom Lynch is still no certainty to be available for the start of the 2024 season after a broken foot limited him to just four games this year.
Lynch is targeting an increase to his training loads in January.
"He's ticking all the boxes and hasn't had a setback as far as I know," Nankervis said.
"They'll be patient with Tom because we know how important he is for us, but I think he's going really well."
