Toby Nankervis

Toby Nankervis (born 12 August 1994) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Nankervis was born to parents Sharon and Kingsley in August 1994.

He spent his early years in the South-West Melbourne suburb of Point Cook before the family moved to the rural northern Tasmanian town of George Town where he attended school at Lilydale District High School.

It was the most contested possessions by a Richmond ruckman since Brad Ottens recorded 18 in round 17, 2003.

Nankervis set a Richmond club record in round 5 when he posted 56 hitouts in a win over on Anzac Day eve.

At the time he was ranked third in the league for Rucks under Champion Data's ranking points system which aggregates various statistical categories.

There he played junior football for Lilydale in the junior divisions of the North Eastern Football Union, including in an under 16s premiership in 2009 alongside fellow future-AFL draftee Jay Lockhart.

He later played football above his age group in senior matches for the North Launceston Football Club in the Tasmanian Football League while still a junior.

Nankervis was draft eligible in 2012, but was passed over in both the national and rookie drafts.

In 2013 Nankervis represented Tasmania in the National Under 18 Championships.

He was particularly dominant in a match against the Northern Territory where he recorded 22 disposals, nine marks and kicked five goals.

He was named the competition's best ruck, winning All-Australian selection as well as being a joint winner of the Harrison Medal for Division 2's best and fairest player.

In addition to football, Nankervis was also a promising junior cricketer.

He was once a member of the Tasmanian Cricket Academy and played for his state through Under-17s level.

Nankervis was drafted by with the club's third pick and the 35th selection overall in the 2013 AFL National draft.

Nankervis did not play senior football for the Swans in his first season, instead playing 18 matches with the club's reserves side in the NEAFL.

He was on the brink of selection on a number of times, being named as a senior emergency in eight matches that season.

He previously played 12 matches for the Sydney Swans from 2014 to 2016 after being drafted by the club with the 35th pick in the 2013 AFL national draft.

He made his debut in round 14 2015, in a match against at the Sydney Cricket Ground He kicked a goal on debut, to go along with ten disposals and six hit outs.

He finished the season having played five matches at AFL level.

Nankervis was considered a fourth option ruckman in 2016, clearly behind teammates Kurt Tippett, Callum Sinclair and Sam Naismith.

He played sporadically across the year, playing a total of seven matches.

He played in the club's semi-final match against, recording a then-career-high 15 disposals along with 16 hit-outs.

Whilst he did not ultimately play, Nankervis was named as an emergency in the Swans' 2016 Grand Final team.

Though his impact at senior level was minimal, he was named in the 2016 NEAFL Team of the Year for his performances in the club's reserve side.

He played 13 matches for the reserves side, kicking 19 goals in the process.

In a match against Eastlake he kicked six goals and took 11 marks.

At the conclusion of the 2016 season, Nankervis sought a contract away from Sydney, looking for greater opportunities to play at the AFL level.

On 19 October 2016 he was traded to Richmond in exchange for a third round draft selection.

In his first pre-season at the club, Nankervis was lauded for his aggressive playing style, with Richmond forward Sam Lloyd claiming Nankervis had "a bit of mongrel in him."

The club's coaching staff also heaped praise upon him, with Blake Caracella noting his willingness to "hit bodies and follow up and chase" while Andrew McQualter claimed Nankervis had "nearly put a couple of our players in hospital with his tackles."

On the back of his impressive pre-season training efforts and a serious back injury to fellow ruck Shaun Hampson, Nankervis spent the JLT Community Series playing as the club's primary ruckman.

He solidified his standing thanks to three consecutive strong performances and forced his way into position as the club's leading ruck.

Nankervis is a three-time premiership player with Richmond, winning in 2017, 2019 and 2020.

Nankervis served as Richmond co-captain from 2022 to 2023, and will serve as the sole captain from the 2024 season.

Nankervis made his Richmond debut in the 2017 season opening match, a victory over at the MCG.

He recorded career bests for hit-outs (27) and goals (2) in the match.

Nankervis followed this up with another impressive game in round 2's win over.

Though Nankervis was beaten in the ruck by Brodie Grundy (45-18 hit-outs), it was his work around the ground that impressed coach Damien Hardwick.

He recorded career highs for disposals (21), clearances (an equal team-high seven), inside-50s (6), rebound-50s (3) and contested possessions (14).