No club has been harder hit by injuries than Richmond so far in 2019. Will the medical dramas prove to just be a speed bump for a contender? Or will the injury toll take its toll?
With massive names like Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt, Trent Cotchin and Toby Nankervis all spending long periods on the sideline, it’s incredible that the Tigers have been able to stay above water.
Last year’s minor premiers sit in fifth – just outside the top four on percentage – despite fielding a virtual VFL side on occasion.
But how long will it last?
We brought Roar AFL expert and editor Stirling Coates onto the Game of Codes podcast to have a look at Richmond’s chances over the rest of the season.
Listen to the debate:
| Player | Injury | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Alex Rance | ACL | Season |
| Jack Riewoldt | PCL | 4-6 weeks |
| Trent Cotchin | Hamstring | 2 weeks |
| Toby Nankervis | Abductor | 5-7 weeks |
| Jayden Short | Elbow | 4-5 weeks |
| Callum Moore | Ankle | 7-9 weeks |
| Jack Ross | Ankle | 5-7 weeks |
| Jack Graham | Hamstring | Test |
| Luke English | Tonsilitis | Indefinite |
| Ivan Soldo | Suspension | 1 week |
Visit our Game of Codes hub to catch the full episode and be sure to subscribe and review on iHeartRadio, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever else you’re listening.
DTM
Guest
Like many, I wrote the Tigers off after Rance, Reiwoldt and Cotchin went down. I have been impressed by their depth and think they have done really well to this point. Long way to go but it's shaping as a battle of 5 or 6 for the top 4 spots.
Billbob
Roar Rookie
We have egos!! We have opinions on everything footy but not one of us has played at the highest level haha and we say these blokes have egos lol gezz perish the thought larrikin
Billbob
Roar Rookie
Your a spud larrikin
Peter Warrington
Guest
it got stuck in Bali when the volcano went off so was late for pre season training the rest of Cotchin was on the plane and is now thinking of suing Garuda just a rumour I saw on social media
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
On that note, how come Cotchins hammy has become a 7 to 9 week hammy?
Peter the Scribe
Roar Guru
But all that matters is finals hey Slane? You don’t have to beat sides in season, you have to beat them in finals.
Alfred
Guest
Best 22 players...sigh. By your logic, Collingwood missing Brodie Grundy is equivalent to them missing Callum Brown. Or for my team (Tiges), having Rance out is the same as having Castagna (a best 22 player) out. Other teams may have more depth players missing than the Tiges, but no-one has more stars missing. I'd prefer to have 2 depth players out then 1 star, even if it is double the injury toll.
Peter Warrington
Guest
great analysis. happily, players coming in look better than those going out!
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Not even close to one of the youngest sides.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
...and Freo. Richmond's injuries are not grand in the scheme of things. Rance all season but the rest are back around the mid-season break. What an exaggeration. Now Melbourne's injury list...that's something that could cost a finals berth.
Fat Toad
Roar Rookie
It doesn’t really matter if an injury list is the worst or what ever, the important factor is how deep any list is in the positions of its injured players. The challenge for Richmond is that they play a high intensity game that is tough on both their and their opponent’s bodies. As some of their players age, they will require greater management with between game recovery, and also need longer to recover. Likely, they will carry more niggles and need more weeks off just to get over general soreness. For Richmond, young players in and out of the team and resting more senior players will need to become standard.
Slane
Guest
Couldn't be any further from the mark.
Baz
Guest
loss of personnel..
Baz
Guest
Tigers can cover their losses.....
Larrikin
Roar Rookie
Richmond has some players with massive ego problems, martin and reiwoldt are classic examples.
anon
Roar Pro
They're doing well for one of the youngest sides in the competition. Much like last year, showing having a young side is no impediment to being competitive.
Scott
Guest
“No club has been harder hit by injuries than Richmond so far in 2019.” Slight exaggeration there. Melbourne’s has been far worse and even clubs like St Kilda, Collingwood , Port Adelaide, Sydney etc. all have a similar amount of best 22 players missing right now. Richmond are missing 3 of their stars which is why this is even news. Good on them though, I’ve been surprised at how good they have been without them. They should definitely still be one of the top premiership fancies and are looking very solid for a top 4 berth
Grand-Dag
Guest
Melbourne's injury list is quite devastating as well, but that did not stop them playing the best footy they have displayed this year against the Eagles last week. This is a similar situation to Richmond where the next 10 players on the list are just as talented as the ten last picked for the team each week. Basically most of the teams list could be regular AFL players if given the opportunity. So injuries below the top five players should not overly affect a teams performance if the whole team is well schooled in the game play required.