in round 22. While he was again an emergency in round 23, Aarts could not make an AFL debut before the beginning of the VFL finals series, where he contributed one goal in a qualifying final win over the reserves. In the preliminary final a fortnight later, Aarts was reported for rough conduct against Port Melbourne's Tom O'Sullivan and received a four-week suspension. Due to that suspension, Aarts was one of just six players on the Richmond list to play in neither the AFL nor VFL premiership winning sides in 2019. Aarts finished the 2019 season without having made an AFL debut, but having played 16 matches and kicking 18 goals with Richmond's reserves side in the VFL. 2020 season In the early months of the 2019/20 pre-season, Aarts suffered from groin and hip soreness and had limited participation in training, before returning to full fitness by the first week of February 2020. He was selected to play in the opening match of the pre-season series in early-March, his first top-level game since being drafted to the club. Aarts was dropped back to reserves level after recording 10 disposals, instead playing in one VFL practice match the following week before the remainder of pre-season practice matches were cancelled due to safety concerns as a result of the rapid progression of the COVID-19 pandemic into Australia. After just one round of AFL matches and as a result of the still unfolding pandemic, the AFL season was suspended for a period of 11 weeks. In place of the cancelled VFL season, Aarts' return to match-play came through organised reserves practice matches against opposition team's unselected players. He performed consistently well in three such matches when the season resumed in June, earning an AFL debut in round 5's win over at the MCG. Aarts made a solid debut with 15 disposals and three score involvements in the shortened game, played with quarter lengths reduced by one fifth like all matches in that pandemic-affected 17-round season. In the week that followed, Aarts moved with the main playing group when the club was relocated to the Gold Coast in response to a virus outbreak in Melbourne. He kicked his first two career goals in his third match, a round 7 win over . After that breakthrough, Aarts became a regular goalkicker, contributing eight goals over the next four matches including a career-high three goals in