Ty Vickery is a full-time footballer, a part-time student, a mentor to homeless young people, and an amateur boxer.
The Richmond forward is busy, balanced and enjoying his footy.
Vickery, 25, chalked up his 100th AFL game last weekend as the Tigers downed Essendon at the MCG.
The milestone arrived with Vickery in arguably the best form of his career with the Tigers.
“Every year you play you get a bit more confident in your body and what you can do out there,” Vickery said after the win over the Bombers at the MCG.
“I try and just play my role for the team.”
Vickery has been making a strong contest since he arrived at Punt Road as the No.8 pick in the 2008 national draft.
“When football is getting you down it can be pretty tough when you’re in a rough patch. Working with Ladder and seeing people in harder situations can put football in perspective. It’s really humbling and pretty important for all players.” – ty vickery
And his playing style and will to push himself in training can be traced back to the boxing ring.
He grew up with the gloves on thanks to the influence of his father John Vickery Sr, who played four games for Collingwood and has been Richmond’s boxing coach for more than a decade.
The tales of the summer slogs John puts the Richmond players through are legendary.
“It gets pretty competitive, but it’s all controlled so nobody gets hurt,” Vickery told aflplayers.com.au.
“There is a bit of blood spilt and a bit of sweat.
“We have a big boxing focus at the club. Pre-season we do a lot, a couple of sessions per week. In season it’s a bit harder to find the time.
“There’s a good group of guys who really enjoy it as a way of getting fit and just having a bit of fun.”
Both Ty and John believe the work in the boxing ring translates to the footy field.
“I find it really good for the footwork,” Ty said.
“There are certainly aspects of it that we take in (to football).
“Just that aggression, particularly from our key position players and ruckmen, that’s what they love. We find there’s a lot of things that are transferable.”
Vickery is plugging away at a law degree and works with some young people through the AFL Players’ official charity, Ladder.
“When football is getting you down, it can be pretty tough when you’re in a rough patch,” he said.
“Working with Ladder and seeing people in harder situations can put football in perspective. It’s really humbling and pretty important for all players.”
Click here to find out more about the Richmond players’ involvement with Ladder
Each weekend, every AFL player who takes the field donates $25 of his match payment to Ladder. You can join the players in supporting Ladder by making a donation here.