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Fremantle small forward Hayden Ballanytne has recovered from wrist surgery and will play his first game for the club but small defender Roger Hayden will miss up to two months with a broken leg.
Chris Mayne (ankle) is expected to resume after the mid-season break while midfielders Ryan Crowley (foot) and Rhys Palmer (knee) are out for the season.
For the Tigers, veteran Ben Cousins returns after suffering a broken hand against Port in round eight but Andrew Raines will miss after suffering a knee injury in the loss to Essendon. Matthew Richardson is sidelined indefinitely with a hamstring injury while former skipper Kane Johnson will miss at least another week with a knee complaint.
FORM: Richmond started brightly against Essendon last Saturday night but fell away badly in the second half as the Bombers cruised to a 40-point victory. The Tigers have won just one of their first nine matches. Fremantle led North Melbourne by 27 points early in the second term last weekend before allowing the Kangaroos to work their way back into the contest, eventually going down by 13 points. The Dockers have lost their past two matches to slump to 14th place on the ladder with a 3-6 win-loss record.
KEY MATCH-UPS:
Daniel Jackson vs. Paul Hasleby
Hasleby continued his impressive start to the season with a game-high 26 possessions and two goals against the Kangaroos.
The 27-year-old has been his side’s most consistent midfielder this year and is damaging with his ability to win the football in close and dish it off by hand to find his teammates in space.
The Tigers will need to quell his influence in the middle as it will help shut-down Fremantle’s running game.
Jackson has been Richmond’s number one stopper in the midfield this season and looms as the obvious candidate to tag Hasleby.
Richmond will need Jackson to not give Hasleby any time or space at the stoppages otherwise he will get his side going with his clean use of the football.
Garrick Ibbotson vs. Brett Deledio
The last time these two sides met in round 21 last year Deledio was among his side’s best with 23 disposals, nine marks, two goals and four inside 50’s.
Shutting down the drive he provides will be a key for the Dockers if they are going to snap a two-game losing streak.
Ibbotson and Matt De Boer have been given tagging roles since Crowley suffered his season-ending injury in the win over West Coast in round six.
Expect Ibbotson to be given the job of running with Deledio on Saturday night as he has the ability to hurt the Richmond young gun going the other way.
Shane Tuck vs. Mathew Pavlich
Pavlich continued his recent run of good form with 18 touches and three goals in the loss to the Roos.
The Fremantle skipper played a key role in the Dockers’ last win over Richmond in round 11. 2007, helping himself to 22 possessions, 15 marks and three goals in a performance that earned him the two Brownlow medal votes.
If the Tigers are going to record just their second win of the season they will need to contain Pavlich who has hit his straps after an indifferent start to the season.
Pavlich has spent more time in the midfield in recent times and will most likely be matched up by Tuck given that Jackson will be tagging Hasleby.
While it is vital that Tuck pay close attention to Pavlich, the Tigers also need the 27-year-old to be proactive and do what he does best – win plenty of the football at the stoppages in order to make the Fremantle star accountable.
Antoni Grover vs. Nathan Brown
Brown was simply unstoppable early against the Bombers but like a lot of his teammates he faded in the second half, finishing the match with 18 disposals, 12 marks and two goals.
If the Tigers are going to have any chance of ending a four-game losing skid they will need Brown and several others to put in a four-quarter performance.
Expect Grover to be given the job of matching up on Brown as he has the ability to match him in the air and also when the football hits the deck.
In last weekend’s loss to the Bombers the Tigers had 42 more possessions but entered inside their forward 50 three fewer times.
If Brown is going to have any chance of having a major say in the outcome of this contest he will need his midfield to be quick and direct with their use of the football as they simply don’t have the class to play a possession brand of football all night.
VERDICT: Fremantle desperately needs a win to keep their finals hopes alive while Richmond will be undoubtedly be keen to secure the four premiership points for their embattled coach Terry Wallace in what will be his 500th game as player and coach. The Tigers will head into this clash with some confidence given that they have won their past three matches at Subiaco Oval but their inability to play four quarters of consistent football and lack of firepower up forward will prove to be costly.
Dockers by 32 points.
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