Derek Eggmolesse-Smith

Eggmolesse-Smith was signed by Richmond as a category B rookie in November 2017 under the league's academy rules.[15] He was the first player from the program ever to be signed to the club's AFL list.[16]

He made his first appearance for Richmond when he represented the club in a series of AFLX exhibition matches in Sydney in February 2018.[17][18] Before the season officially began however, Eggmolesse-Smith suffered a stress fracture in his lower leg.[19][20] After spending most of the season on the sidelines, Eggmolesse-Smith returned to football with the club's reserves side in the VFL in early August.[21] After finishing as minor premiers, Richmond's reserves side lined up a home qualifying final against Williamstown in which Eggmolesse-Smith featured as a defender.[22] After a loss in that match, Richmond's reserves side suffered a knock-out loss the following week which saw the team and Eggmolesse-Smith's season come to a close.[23] Eggmolesse-Smith finished 2018 having failed to earn an AFL debut, instead playing four matches with the club's reserves side in the VFL.[24]

After being re-contracted in the off-season, Egmolesse-Smith began the 2019 season with Richmond's VFL side where he impressed in pre-season matches in March.[25][26][27] He continued at that level through the opening months of the season, impressing VFL coach Craig McRae with his defensive play.[28] In early May Eggmolesse-Smith had what McCrae labelled "arguably the best game he’s played for the club" when he recorded 21 disposals and seven rebound-50s in a VFL win over Williamstown.[29] Later that month he played strongly in the club's Indigenous Round VFL match and featured in the club's the war cry performance ceremony before that match.[30][31][32] Eggmolesse-Smith was named as an AFL-level emergency in round 13 after a strong run of form at VFL level.[33][34] He would have to wait another three weeks before earning an AFL debut, elevated to the club's primary list in place of the long-term injury listed Alex Rance and playing his first match in the club's round 16 match against Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium.[35] Eggmolesse-Smith collected 19 disposals and four rebound-50s on debut, holding his spot for round 17's match against Greater Western Sydney.[36] He was one of five Indigenous players for Richmond in that match, a new club record.[8] After two matches at AFL level, Eggmolesse-Smith was dropped back to VFL level in late July where he immediately starred with 26 disposals and nine marks at half-back.[37][38] He remained at the lower level through the end of the VFL team's minor-premiership winning home and away season, though missed most of one match with a corked buttock sustained mid-match.[39][40] In a come-from-behind qualifying final win over the Essendon reserves, Eggmolesse-Smith notched 20 disposals, before adding another 17 in the VFL preliminary final a fortnight later as Richmond's reserves won through to that league's grand final.[41][42][43] In the VFL grand final, Eggmolesse-Smith was named by AFL Media as one of Richmond's best players, notching 20 disposals as his side defeated Williamstown to earn the club won its first reserves grade premiership since 1997.[44][45] Eggmolesse-Smith finished 2019 having played two matches at AFL level, as well as a further 19 with the club's VFL premiership winning reserves side.[46][47]

After a full pre-season of training, Eggmolesse-Smith first played in 2020 with the club's reserves side in VFL practice matches in March.[48] The season was postponed before its opening round however, owing to safety concerns as a result of the rapid progression of the coronavirus pandemic into Australia.[49] The AFL season began in late March without Eggmolesse-Smith able to earn selection, before it too was postponed due to the pandemic after just one round was played.[50][51][52][53] After an 11-week hiatus, Eggmolesse-Smith returned to competitive match play in an unofficial scratch match against Collingwood's reserves on the same week as the AFL's round 2 matchup between the two clubs, arranged in place of the now cancelled VFL season.[54][55] Following a further three scratch matches at reserves level, he was recalled to AFL level for round 6's match against Sydney in place of Bachar Houli, who had elected not to travel with the team after a virus outbreak in Melbourne forced it to be relocated to the Gold Coast.[56][57][58][59] As with all matches in the reduced 17-round season that year, it was held with playing time reduced by one fifth, owing to the need for clubs to play multiple games on short breaks later in the year.[60][61] A week later he produced a standout best-on-ground performance, earning two Brownlow Medal votes and a match-high eight Coaches Association award votes for a stat sheet that included 471 metres gained and a team-high 23 disposals in the win over North Melbourne on the Gold Coast.[62][63][64] He remained in the senior side for a further four matches, before being dropped to reserves level following a seven clanger performance in round 11's loss to Port Adelaide.[65][66] Eggmolesse-Smith continued to play reserves football for the final weeks of the shortened season and into the club's AFL finals campaign.[67][68] Eggmolesse-Smith remained unselected through the course of the finals series, unable to earn selection while his teammates earned the club a second successive AFL premiership.[69][70] He finished the season having played six AFL matches.[65] At the end of the season, Eggmolesse-Smith was delisted by Richmond after a three-year stint at the club which included eight AFL matches.[71][72][73]

After being overlooked by all 18 clubs at the 2020 national and rookie drafts, Eggmolesse-Smith was offered an opportunity to win back his spot at Richmond under the league's pre-season supplemental selection rules.[74][75] He trained well over the summer with focus on building his endurance before featuring in the club's one official pre-season match with eight disposals from a limited 31 per cent time on ground.[76][77] In the second week of March, Eggmolesse-Smith was formally re-signed for a one-year contract.[76] He spent the opening two rounds of the season playing reserves football with the club's VFL side, before earning selection at AFL level for the club's round 3 match against Sydney.[78][79] After recording just nine disposals in the match and owing to the return from injury of veteran half-back Bachar Houli, Eggmolesse-Smith was returned to VFL level after just one match.[80][81]