Tigers' beast Lefau handed AFL rookie list spot

Talented former rugby league junior Mykelti Lefau has promised to bring a unique brand of aggression to the AFL after earning a spot on Richmond's rookie list.

The New Zealand-born forward has trained with the Tigers over summer and edged out East Perth's Mitch Schofield for the last available list spot.

Both players took part in Richmond's practice match against Melbourne on Sunday and Lefau immediately made his presence felt.

The 195cm, 96kg prospect delivered a brutal bump on experienced Demons defender Jake Lever and caught the eye with a clever goal.

Lefau's AFL call-up comes after he spent time in NRL club Melbourne Storm's development pathway following his move to Australia from Auckland in 2012.

"All the boys know what I can do in that (physical) sense, so I just try to bring that to the best of my ability because I know I can do it," the 26-year-old Lefau told reporters on Monday.

"If anyone's there I'll put my body on the line for the boys.

"The toughness maybe (is from my rugby league background) but there's all that technical stuff as well.

"You've got to be smart with it and that was a big learning curve for me, trying to get my body in the right position because you don't want to injure someone or get in trouble."

Lefau enters AFL ranks with a reputation, having kicked 25 goals in a single game with amateur club St Kilda City's U19s team in 2016.

More recently, Lefau featured 11 times for Richmond's VFL side last season after recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament, and has trained with the AFL team over summer.

He counts teammate Marlion Pickett among his football mentors and now has his sights on an AFL debut in 2024, as the Tigers embark on their first season under new coach Adem Yze.

"One hundred per cent (a senior game) is the goal," Lefau said.

"First and foremost it was to get this contract and the next step now is trying to get a debut.

"After that it's about my consistency to stay in the team."

Lefau joins last season's mid-season draftee James Trezise and Tylar Young as players elevated from the Tigers' VFL program to the AFL in recent years.

Essendon's Sam Durham, Hawthorn's Massimo D'Ambrosio and ex-Bomber Garret McDonagh have also been drafted out of the VFL program since 2021, while Jake Aarts played 42 AFL games for Richmond.

Lefau
Mykelti Lefau is the latest success story to emerge from Richmond's VFL program.

Meanwhile, Hawthorn have signed emerging defender Ethan Phillips to cover the loss of key back James Blanck, who is out for the year because of a knee injury sustained during match practice last week.

Phillips was one of the VFL's premier defenders over the last two years with Port Melbourne and was signed to play with the Hawks' state league affiliate Box Hill this season.

The 24-year-old, 196cm backman was named in the VFL team of the year in 2022 and claimed the prestigious Fothergill-Round-Mitchell Medal as the competition's best young talent.

The last 17 winners of the medal have now been drafted into the AFL system.

North Melbourne have handed their final list spot to tall forward Tyler Sellers, who shone in the club's VFL team last year.

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store