1. Nicholas Alexander Leendert Vlastuin is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League.
84 Facts About Nick Vlastuin
1. 2.
Nick Vlastuin is a three-time premiership player with the club, winning in 2017,2019 and 2020.
3.
Nick Vlastuin plays as a hybrid defender, adept at directly defending small forwards, taking intercepting marks and rebounding from defensive 50.
4.
Nick Vlastuin spent his formative years living in Eltham North, a suburb in Melbourne's north-east.
5.
Nick Vlastuin played his junior football at Eltham in the Northern Football League before moving to the Northern Knights in the TAC Cup at the age of 14.
6.
In 2011 Nick Vlastuin represented the premiership winning Victorian Metro side at the Under-18 National championships.
7.
Nick Vlastuin returned to the team in 2012, this time captaining the side to the competition title.
8.
Nick Vlastuin was named All-Australian for his performances in the tournament.
9.
Nick Vlastuin completed high school at St Helena Secondary College in 2011.
10.
Nick Vlastuin was drafted with Richmond's first pick and the ninth selection overall in the 2012 AFL Draft.
11.
Nick Vlastuin made his AFL debut in round 5 of the 2013 AFL season in an away game against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval.
12.
Nick Vlastuin kicked his first career goal in the match.
13.
Nick Vlastuin would go on to play 18 games in his first season, recording an average of 16.3 disposals and 4.8 marks per game and placing sixth in the Rising Star award.
14.
Nick Vlastuin began 2014 in the club's best-22, playing in round one against Carlton.
15.
Nick Vlastuin finished the season having played 20 matches at AFL level, including a finals series appearance for the second straight season.
16.
Nick Vlastuin placed seventh at the club for tackles and ninth for rebound 50s in 2014.
17.
Nick Vlastuin recorded double digit possessions in every match in 2015 and finished top-ten at the club for tackles and rebound 50s.
18.
Nick Vlastuin placed sixth in the club's best-and-fairest award, his highest place to date.
19.
Nick Vlastuin was nominated for the AFLPA's 22 Under 22 team but would fail to make the final team.
20.
Nick Vlastuin played in each of the club's first four matches that season before a leg injury kept him out of action for two matches.
21.
Nick Vlastuin recorded 16 disposals, six tackles and a goal in the match but did not reprise the role on a regular basis that season.
22.
Nick Vlastuin suffered a concussion in the second quarter of the club's round 11 loss to North Melbourne.
23.
Nick Vlastuin was again nominated to the 22 Under 22 squad that season but would go unselected for the second straight season.
24.
Nick Vlastuin placed ninth in the club's best and fairest count in 2016.
25.
Nick Vlastuin ceased training with the club's backline specific group and moved into the club's midfield training group.
26.
Nick Vlastuin was a key member of Richmond's strong start to the 2017 season, playing in the club's round 1 victory over Carlton.
27.
Nick Vlastuin kicked a goal during the match while his 12 tackles for the match set a career best.
28.
Nick Vlastuin suffered a broken nose and concussion in the club's round 3 win over West Coast.
29.
Nick Vlastuin played with the lingering effects of the injury in round 4 before concussion symptoms saw him sit out the club's round 5 match against Melbourne.
30.
Nick Vlastuin suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter of his side's round 7 match against the Western Bulldogs.
31.
Nick Vlastuin ultimately missed more than two months of AFL football, returning to the club's senior side in round 17 following a fortnight of matches in the VFL.
32.
Nick Vlastuin was back to his best in that role, lifting his metres gained average from 20th at the club to third as well as his intercept possession count from 1.8 to 8.3, good for ninth in the whole league.
33.
Nick Vlastuin held his form into the finals series, playing a "pivotal" role in Richmond's qualifying final win over Geelong.
34.
Nick Vlastuin started slow, giving up a goal to Betts early in the first quarter.
35.
Nick Vlastuin turned his performance around however and contributed 16 possessions and six rebound 50s to Richmond's first premiership winning side in 37 years.
36.
Nick Vlastuin played 16 matches that season and finished 2017 as a premiership player.
37.
Nick Vlastuin suffered a delayed concussion from that match however, forcing him to miss round 2's grand final re-match with Adelaide.
38.
Nick Vlastuin returned after just one match on the sidelines but was handed a $2,000 fine for a rough conduct charge picked up during that round 3 win over Hawthorn.
39.
Two weeks later Nick Vlastuin was ruled out of the club's round 5 ANZAC Day eve match against Melbourne with a minor calf strain.
40.
Nick Vlastuin again missed just a single match, returning to play his 100th career match in round 6's win over Collingwood.
41.
In round 10 Nick Vlastuin was forced to play the second half of a match against St Kilda as a forward after Richmond full-forward Jack Riewoldt sustained a concussion mid-match.
42.
Nick Vlastuin performed strongly in the role, kicking an equal career-best three goals.
43.
In round 13's win over Geelong, Nick Vlastuin was named among the best players on the ground by AFL Media and the Australian Associated Press and received best on ground honours from the coaches with nine votes in the coaches association award following a 21 disposal and 11 mark performance.
44.
Nick Vlastuin closed out the home and away season with wins in each of Richmond's last six matches that saw the club finish as minor premiers.
45.
Richmond opened the finals series with a qualifying final victory over Hawthorn where Nick Vlastuin was identified by AFL Media as a key part of his club's "almost impassable" defence.
46.
Nick Vlastuin's finals run would extend just one more match however, when Richmond was eliminated with a shock preliminary final loss to rivals Collingwood.
47.
Nick Vlastuin started the 2019 season with appearances in each of the club's two pre-season matches, though played only restricted game time in second due to minor soreness.
48.
Nick Vlastuin was fully fit for the club's season opening match against Carlton, where he contributed 14 disposals.
49.
Nick Vlastuin was however added to the club's de facto leadership group of five, who served in the role during the appointed leaders' playing absence.
50.
Two weeks later Nick Vlastuin would show leadership of another kind, named best on ground with a maximum ten coaches award votes for a 28 disposals performance for which he was named to AFL Media's Team of the Week.
51.
Nick Vlastuin returned to the side in round 9, playing a dual role as defender and midfielder while kicking his first goal of the year and adding 24 disposals.
52.
Nick Vlastuin suffered a knock to the hip in round 12 that saw him in some doubt for round 13's match against Adelaide, but eventually recovered in time to post 24 disposals.
53.
Nick Vlastuin recorded more than 20 disposals in three of his next five games following that match, including in round 19 where he received one coaches award vote for a performance that included his then season-best total of eight rebound-50s.
54.
Nick Vlastuin was named among Richmond's best for 24 disposals in round 20, before earning four coaches votes and selection to AFL Media's team of the week in round 21.
55.
Nick Vlastuin closed out the home and away season with a nine mark, 13 intercepts best-on-ground performance that earned him nine coaches votes and yet another selection to the AFL Media team of the week in round 23.
56.
Nick Vlastuin finished the home and away season with the third most intercepts of any player that year and placing 14th for marks, while rating as 'elite' for intercepts and intercept marks by the AFL's statistical partner, Champion Data.
57.
In Richmond's qualifying final win over the Brisbane Lions at The Gabba, Nick Vlastuin recorded a career-best 12 rebound-50s in what Fox Footy described as a 'damaging' performance as a ball carrier at half-back.
58.
Nick Vlastuin took a match-high 12 marks, was one of only five players to receive coaches award votes and was described by AFL Media as "one of the Tigers' best" players on the day.
59.
Nick Vlastuin finished the season with a second premiership in three years and placed fourth in the club's best and fairest count, his best finish to date.
60.
Nick Vlastuin was named at number 41 in Herald Sun chief football reporter Mark Robinson's list of the league's best players in 2019 and was ninth among all defenders on that same list.
61.
Nick Vlastuin suffered a head knock and concussion in round 1's win over Carlton, ruling him out of most of the second half of the match.
62.
Nick Vlastuin was among his side's best in a heavy defeat the following week, recording 22 disposals and 10 intercepts in a 32-point loss to Hawthorn.
63.
Nick Vlastuin received three coaches award votes in each of rounds 6 and 7, after dual 16-disposal performances in wins over Sydney and North Melbourne.
64.
Nick Vlastuin returned to play his 150th career match against the Brisbane Lions in round 10, before being caught on camera allegedly groping teammate Mabior Chol during post-match celebrations in the club rooms one week later.
65.
Nick Vlastuin issued an apology to Chol and to the public in the days that followed, but escaped without facing club, league or criminal sanctions.
66.
In round 13, Nick Vlastuin attracted a $500 AFL Match Review fine for allegedly staging for a free kick during a marking contest in the club's Dreamtime in Darwin win over Essendon.
67.
Nick Vlastuin earned four coaches votes as equal second best on ground in round 15, after which point he ranked first among all players in the league for total intercept marks that season.
68.
Nick Vlastuin added another three coaches votes each in wins during round 17 and 18, finishing the regular season ranked third among all players for intercepts per game and fourth for intercept marks, and earning a nomination to the All-Australian squad of forty players.
69.
Nick Vlastuin had a relatively quiet performance with just one mark in a qualifying final loss to the Brisbane Lions in the opening round of the finals series, before adding six tackles in a semi-final win over St Kilda a week later.
70.
Nick Vlastuin then had what Fox Footy called an impressively clean performance with nine intercept possessions as one of Richmond's best players in a preliminary final victory over Port Adelaide.
71.
Nick Vlastuin become a three-time premiership player the following week, lining up in a grand final win over Geelong.
72.
Nick Vlastuin placed second among all players in the league for intercept marks that season.
73.
Ahead of the 2021 season, Nick Vlastuin was labelled by the Herald Sun as the fifth best defender in the league and the 25th best player overall.
74.
Nick Vlastuin was substituted out of the game in the third quarter of the match, after suffering a knock to the knee that caused significant internal bleeding around the joint.
75.
Nick Vlastuin was initially considered some chance to be fit for round 2 but was ultimately ruled out, with the same uncertainty continuing into round 3.
76.
Ahead of round 4, Nick Vlastuin underwent further scans that showed greater damage to the knee that was first known, and that would require minor surgery which would see him miss at least a further four matches.
77.
Nick Vlastuin was used for periods of the second half of round 9's comeback win over Greater Western Sydney in an inside midfield role, in place of the injured Trent Cotchin and Dion Prestia.
78.
Nick Vlastuin plays as a hybrid defender, adept at directly defending small forwards, taking intercepting marks and rebounding from defensive 50.
79.
Nick Vlastuin is highly capable at playing as a spare defender, assisting backline teammates in aerial contests while they are directly matched up on an opponent.
80.
Since the injury-absence and eventual retirement of teammate Alex Rance in 2019, Nick Vlastuin has become particularly adept at this role as an intercept marker, leading Richmond that year in total intercepts, marks and rebound-50s.
81.
Nick Vlastuin's grandfather fought in the Dutch New Guinea army during World War II and was interned in a prisoner of war camp to work on the Thai-Burma Railway.
82.
Nick Vlastuin is son to mother Cecily and father Chris.
83.
Nick Vlastuin became superstitious and grew out the beard for the remainder of the season, a habit that he repeated during the 2018 season.
84.
Nick Vlastuin traveled to the Indonesian jungles of Sumatra in 2018 as part of Richmond's tiger conservation partnership with the World Wildlife Fund.