72 Facts About Toby Nankervis

Toby Nankervis was born on 12 August 1994 and is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League.

Toby Nankervis 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.

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

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

Toby Nankervis 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.

Toby Nankervis 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.

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

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

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

Toby Nankervis 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.

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

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

Toby 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.

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

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

Toby Nankervis finished the season having played five matches at AFL level.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Toby Nankervis recorded career bests for hit-outs and goals in the match.

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

Toby Nankervis recorded career highs for disposals, clearances, inside-50s, rebound-50s and contested possessions.

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

In round 6, Toby Nankervis was reported for an off-the-ball elbow on Adelaide's David Mackay.

Toby Nankervis was offered a one-match suspension by the AFL's Match Review Panel.

Toby Nankervis returned in the club's round 8 loss to Fremantle.

Toby Nankervis played his old club Sydney in round 13 and equaled a career high nine tackles in the match.

When young ruck Ivan Soldo was added to the side in round 17, Toby Nankervis saw a change in role, moved from a midfield exclusive role to one incorporating stints in the Richmond forward line.

An eye-injury to full forward Jack Riewoldt caused him to miss round 19 and saw Toby Nankervis asked to fill his role, kicking a career high three goals in the process.

Toby Nankervis resumed full ruck duties by round 22 though, with Soldo having played his last senior game of the year.

Toby Nankervis continued on in the ruck through winning finals against Geelong and Greater Western Sydney on the way to a Grand Final match-up with minor premiers Adelaide.

Toby Nankervis ultimately became a premiership player in 2017 though, logging 28 hitouts, 18 disposals, four marks and three tackles in his side's 48 point victory.

Toby Nankervis finished 2017 rating fifth at the club for total clearances and third for tackles that year.

Toby Nankervis ranked 11th in the league for total hitouts and recorded the seventh most hit outs ever in a season by a Richmond player.

Toby Nankervis spent part of the 2018 pre season training as a forward, preparing for the ultimately unsuccessful potential injury return of Shaun Hampson that could have seen Nankervis play significant forward-line minutes.

Toby Nankervis returned in the second and final match of the series though, before playing as lead ruck in the club's season-opening round 1 win over Carlton.

Toby Nankervis kicked his first goal of the season in round 3 and in round 6 recorded a career-high 29 disposals, besting eventual All-Australian Brodie Grundy despite losing in the ruck with just 17 hitouts.

Toby Nankervis suffered a minor injury to his right wrist when falling in a ruck contest in round 8 that saw him fail to train in the lead up to round 9's match against West Coast in Perth.

Toby Nankervis was ruled fit to play despite the injury, but was beaten by his Eagles counterparts Nic Naitanui and Scott Lycett who carried West Coast to a win.

In round 11's marquee Dreamtime at the 'G match against Essendon, Toby Nankervis kicked two goals and was named among Richmond's best players by AFL Media in the 71-point victory.

Toby Nankervis picked up a single coaches vote in round 15, this time for laying a team high 10 tackles.

Toby Nankervis again earned a coaches vote in round 18's victory over St Kilda.

Three weeks later Toby Nankervis suffered a minor quad cork injury during round 20 that saw him miss the club's round 21 match Gold Coast.

Toby Nankervis missed just one match however, returning to play in each of the club's two final matches before the finals series.

Toby Nankervis concluded the home and away season ranked second among the league's rucks for average disposals per game while Richmond earned the minor premiership and a home qualifying final against Hawthorn.

Toby Nankervis contributed 14 disposals in a win during that match and a further 16 in what would prove a shock preliminary final loss to rivals Collingwood that brought Nankervis' and the club's season to an end.

Toby Nankervis was comprehensibly beaten by opposition ruck Brodie Grundy in that final match, allowing Grundy an all-time finals record 56 hit outs.

Toby Nankervis kicked three goals while playing the role in the first of Richmond's pre-season matches, before shifting to the primary ruck role and adding one more goal in their final match of the series.

Toby Nankervis received another two votes in that award for his 14 disposals and one goal in round 4, earning the fifth most votes of any Richmond player that day.

In round 6's ANZAC Day eve match against Melbourne, Toby Nankervis again attracted three coaches votes, but received a $2000 fine for a careless low impact strike on opposition forward Tom McDonald.

Two weeks later Toby Nankervis would suffer a serious right adductor injury in a ruck contest during the first quarter of a match against Fremantle in round 8.

Toby Nankervis played a further two matches at reserves-level, gradually increasing his playing time as he continued to recover towards full fitness.

Toby Nankervis made a return to AFL football in round 21, contributing 25 disposals and an equal season-best 34 hitouts in a win over Carlton in which he received a $3000 fine for striking opposition midfielder Marc Murphy.

Toby Nankervis's stint lasted just the one match however, after he was a late withdrawal with groin soreness the following week.

Toby Nankervis made his return after two weeks rest with impressive performance in a VFL qualifying final win over the Essendon reserves in which he managed 22 disposals, 33 hitouts and a match winning final quarter goal despite a poor start and only playing limited minutes.

Toby Nankervis had a quiet performance in the preliminary final that followed, finishing with just 11 hitouts and five disposals in the win over Geelong that earned his side a grand final berth against Greater Western Sydney.

Toby Nankervis' output lifted considerably in the grand final, notching an equal season-best 17 disposals along with 22 hitouts to help his side to an 89-point victory and a second premiership in three seasons.

Toby Nankervis was recalled to AFL level when the season began a week later, recording 16 hit outs in significantly limited minutes as second-string to lead ruck Ivan Soldo in a win over Carlton that was played without crowds in attendance due to public health prohibitions on large gatherings.

Toby Nankervis was dropped from AFL level when the season resumed after an 11-week hiatus, instead playing an unofficial scratch match against Collingwood's reserves due to AFL clubs' withdrawal from the VFL season.

Toby Nankervis lasted just one more match at the level, suffering a serious syndesmosis ankle injury in round 5's win over Melbourne.

Toby Nankervis stayed in Melbourne to undergo surgery on the ankle in the week that followed, while his teammates relocated to the Gold Coast as a result of a virus outbreak in Melbourne.

Toby Nankervis recorded 14 disposals and an equal game-high six tackles, while playing a supporting role to lead ruck Ivan Soldo.

Toby Nankervis recorded just 11 hit outs in the club's first-up qualifying final loss to the Brisbane Lions, before improving to 15 hit outs and four clearances in a semi-final win over St Kilda.

Toby Nankervis trailed only Dustin Martin for best on ground honours in the preliminary final that followed, notching a game-high 10 tackles, as well as recording three marks and 10 hit outs in the fourth quarter of that comeback win over Port Adelaide.

Toby Nankervis became a triple-premiership player the following week, leading all players for pressure acts in what the Herald Sun described as a "lion-hearted" performance as his team defeated Geelong by 31 points in the 2020 grand final.

Toby Nankervis plays as a ruck and is particularly adept at the non-traditional ground ball aspects of the role including tackling and winning centre clearances.

Toby Nankervis is noteworthy for his contested marking ability and can play as a relief tall forward.

Outside of football, Toby Nankervis has trained as an apprentice carpenter.