New Richmond coach Jade Rawlings denies a player cull is underway at the AFL club, but says their veterans must show they deserve to keep playing.

"We haven't put a line through any person on our list," he said.

The 31-year-old makes his senior coaching debut on Saturday night against West Coast after Terry Wallace resigned last week.

Rawlings was dubbed "Jade The Blade" after the Tigers made some big calls at selection for the Eagles game at Etihad Stadium.

They dropped club favourite Joel Bowden and fellow 30-plus player Troy Simmonds as well as Mark Coughlan, Jordan McMahon and Kayne Pettifer.

That equals nearly 800 games of AFL experience.

Into the side comes first-gamer Tyrone Vickery, Shane Edwards, Angus Graham, Tom Hislop and Robin Nahas - none a household name.

That prompted strong speculation of a youth focus for the rest of the season and beyond, but Rawlings said he was not trying to make any statement; all selections were form-based and there was no influence from outside the match committee.

He said Bowden, Simmonds and the other players aged 30-plus at Richmond - Ben Cousins and injured pair Matthew Richardson and Nathan Brown - would have every chance to stake their claims.

"Their actions will dictate whether they can compete for next year and onwards," Rawlings said.

"There's personal attachment (through) my relationships with those players, I have a brother-in-law included in that (Richardson).

"Whoever is going to take control of this footy club next year will be making those decisions in conjunction with the list management (committee).

"Those guys have been all terrific players in their own right and for this footy club and I'm sure, if they get the right go with injury and go and do the things we want them to do ... they'll give themselves a chance to play in the future."

Rawlings is also confident about Coughlan's ability to overcome this latest setback.

Rawlings spoke impressively on Friday at a 15-minute media conference.

He handled a couple of delicate matters with confidence and had the look of a senior coach.

Asked why mass selection changes were happening now, Rawlings replied: "I won't answer that, because I wasn't part of the match committee (under Wallace)."

Rawlings was an assistant coach, in charge of VFL affiliate Coburg, before taking over from Wallace.

He also would not be drawn into how long the dropped players would be out of the senior side, saying it would be foolish to make a rod for his own back.

Rawlings said he could relate to fan angst about Bowden's omission, adding he would be disappointed if the decision did not generate some discussion.

Rawlings also gave a slight hint that he is looking at this as more than just a fill-in role.

Immediately after his appointment last Saturday, Rawlings stressed that he would not comment on whether he wanted the job permanently.

Asked again on Friday about his aspirations, he replied: "I'm well-aware this is a caretaker role.

"Where it takes things beyond this year will be up to the footy club and obviously my performance in the second half of this year."

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