Former Richmond captain Chris Newman will play a 15th AFL season, signing a one-year deal to stay at the club.

Newman will play his 250th match against Sydney on Saturday in Richmond’s do-or-die final round match that will determine whether the club plays finals this year.

The 32-year-old showed his ability on Sunday, when he began the Tigers’ comfortable win over St Kilda with an 11-possession opening quarter.

However in a nod to his age, coach Damien Hardwick hauled the influential defender off before three-quarter time to ensure his fitness for their crunch match with the Swans.

Since his debut in 2002, Newman has been a mainstay of the Tigers line-up, playing in his first and only finals match last year.