Riley Collier-Dawkins Biography

Riley Collier-Dawkins makes his AFL debut for Richmond at the MCG with 14 disposals (4 kicks and 10 handballs), 3 marks and 5 tackles in a 22-point win over the Western Bulldogs.

Riley Collier-Dawkins admits to being frustrated at not having made his AFL debut in 2019, a goal he had set for himself.

"I definitely set high internal expectations for myself and I thought I was almost there a few times. The bad thing was I was thinking that because I didn't reach my goal, the rest I had were unreachable," he said.

His frustrations peaked after round 12. The 20-year-old was named emergency for the fifth time, without playing. The following week, he wasn't on the team sheet at all. He went back to the VFL, hurt that his debut had seemed so close and had now drifted to what he perceived as even further away.

"I probably drained myself thinking about it. I took it pretty tough, more than I should have. I wasn't seeking advice on how to cope with it and I made it so much worse than it was," he said.

"I'd get changed, do the meeting, and sort of go through the motions of it all. I was doing myself a disservice. I knew I wasn't getting the best out of myself. People can warn you about how you'll feel when you have a form slump but you don't understand until you've been through it.

"Being so close had got the better of me. In hindsight, I should have reached out a little bit more."

Richmond select Riley Collier-Dawkins with pick No.20 in the 2018 National Draft.

The draft stocks of Oakleigh Chargers midfielder Riley Collier-Dawkins have shot up along with his height over the past 12 months.

The onballer has grown eight centimetres to 192cm and has drawn comparisons to AFL midfield tall timber like Patrick Cripps and Marcus Bontempelli.

"I have grown a fair bit and I've had to make adaptations in my game," Collier-Dawkins said.

"I've gone from that medium-type mid to a tall midfielder, almost key position size, so there have been a few things to learn there.

"I do see myself as my own player but I do look at other (similarly-sized) players and what they're good at."