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

"[5] The club's coaching staff also heaped praise upon him, with Blake Caracella noting his willingness to "hit bodies and follow up and chase" while Andrew McQualter claimed Nankervis had "nearly put a couple of our players in hospital with his tackles.

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

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

[47] He 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.

[54] 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.

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

[62] He 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.

[66] After a complete pre-season training period, Nankervis began 2019 playing as a forward, in order to allow the club to trial potential ruck backups Ivan Soldo and Noah Balta.

[69][70] Nankvervis started the season with a particularly strong performance, recording 17 disposals, 34 hit outs and an equal career-best three goals while playing lead ruck, earning four votes in the coaches' association award in the process.

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

[76] Though he returned to the field for a short period of play after the initial injury, he would be ruled out for the rest of the match by half time.

[77] The club later confirmed the injury to be a high grade tear that had seen muscle and some tendon come off the bone, and announced an expected recovery time period of eight weeks.

[82][83][84] 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 also received a $3000 fine for striking opposition midfielder Marc Murphy.

[88][89] It was enough to earn him a senior-level recall for the club's AFL qualifying final win over the Brisbane Lions the following week in which he recorded 24 hitouts while supporting lead ruck Ivan Soldo.

[93] 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.

[94][95] Nankervis underwent groin surgery to reattach his abductor tendon to the bone in the 2019/20 off-season, and had a significantly reduced pre-season training program as a result.

[96][97][98] After limited minutes in match-simulation sessions in early February, Nankervis targeted a return to top-level match-play for the club's final pre-season game in March.

[102][103][104] 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.

[124][125][126] Nankervis joined the main training group by the second week of August and was recalled to AFL level for the club's round 14 match against West Coast.

[130] In the next match following the club's one week bye, Nankervis would be elevated to the lead ruck position after Soldo suffered a season-ending knee injury.

[15][135][136] He 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.

[137][140][141] 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.