Injury woes mount for Tigers
Richmond must cope with a growing injury list as they prepare for their AFL season opener against Carlton.
While the Tigers will still start favourites against the resetting Blues, the gap between the two teams is shortening.
Their vice-captain Brett Deledio is already sidelined with a quad muscle injury.
Also on Monday night, star forward Jack Riewoldt confirmed Richmond’s No.1 ruckman Ivan Maric will probably miss the Easter Thursday clash because of a sore back.
Shaun Grigg (thumb) is another unlikely starter, while Reece Conca (hamstring) and Carlton recruit Chris Yarran (foot) are out of action for several weeks.
One good bit of news is that Shane Edwards (shoulder) should play against Carlton.
“Ivan has a little bit of a sore back,” Riewoldt told 3AW last night.
“I know at the moment he’s given his all to really give himself every chance of playing on Thursday night [but] we’re not going to go into round one with any players who are unprepared or under any injury cloud.
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“As much as we’d love to play Ivan… it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and we won’t be risking any players in round one, just because it’s round one and the start of the season.”
Maric’s absence would leave Ty Vickery, Ben Griffiths and former Carlton ruckman Shaun Hampson as the candidates to ruck against Blues star Matthew Kreuzer.
Richmond admit they are unsure whether Deledio will play in round two against Collingwood as their star utility recovers from another leg injury.
“We’d expect him to be available, but these things can change, as well as we’ve seen even over the last few days,” Tigers football manager Dan Richardson said.
Meanwhile, Collingwood utility Travis Varcoe will miss the start of the season with a hamstring injury.
Magpies football manager Neil Balme said late yesterday that they are not sure how the injury happened, but conceded Varcoe will be out of action beyond Saturday night’s round-one game match against Sydney at the SCG.
“For some reason he does his hamstring, we’re not sure why,” Balme told the club website.
“It’s certainly not serious, but he’ll miss some weeks.”
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And West Coast youngster Dom Sheed will miss nearly half the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Last year’s grand finalists will also be without Sharrod Wellingham for possibly a month as he struggles to overcome a knee injury.
West Coast are also without Chris Masten (ankle) for the start of the season and Lewis Jetta (calf) is in doubt for Sunday’s round-one game against Brisbane.
In more positive news, former Melbourne co-captain Jack Trengove is defying the odds and on the verge of playing again as he targets an unlikely AFL comeback.
The Demons have confirmed that Trengove will most likely return on Friday in an intraclub match for VFL affiliates Casey.
It was feared a serious foot injury could have ended Trengove’s career.
The Demons were negotiating a trade to Richmond after the 2014 season when a routine medical examination revealed his navicular bone injury had flared again.
Trengove needed another bout of surgery and has not played in the AFL since round two, 2014.
The No.2 draft pick is a popular figure at Melbourne and hopes are high that he can return to their senior team.
“We expect at this stage Jack Trengove will play [on Friday],” football manager Josh Mahoney told the Herald Sun.
“It’s been a long journey for Jack and he has been positive the whole way through [his rehabilitation], which I think has helped him get to the stage that he is at now.
“There will be a few more milestones for Jack to get over yet, but it is certainly exciting.”
-AAP
