Richmond are hopeful captain Trent Cotchin could make it through a busy block of fixtures leading into the AFL finals but are open to resting the premiership skipper again if he needs it.
Cotchin missed three matches with a hamstring strain earlier this season and played two games before being rested in round 12.
The 30-year-old, who battled repeated hamstring injuries last season, will return for the Tigers’ clash with Gold Coast on Monday night.
“He’ll play this week and then we’ve got a couple of five-day breaks so we’ll make decisions along the way,” coach Damien Hardwick said.
“We think he’s got some solid training back into his program so he’s going to give himself every chance to perform at the highest level for those period of games.
“We’ll be pretty open-minded with regards to that, but we’ll make an assessment after each game and see how he pulls up.
“At this stage, we envisage he’ll be playing all the games.”
Cotchin’s return against the Suns is a boost for Richmond as they attempt to rebound from a loss to ladder leaders Port Adelaide, which proved costly for premiership teammate Josh Caddy.
The dual premiership players was dropped along with Jack Ross and Derek Eggmolesse-Smith to make way for Cotchin, Oleg Markov and Jack Graham.
A win would put the Tigers right back in the hunt for a top-four spot.
After a promising restart to the season, Gold Coast have managed just two wins and a draw in their past seven matches, but have been competitive along the way.
“They’re playing some really good footy and probably just missing the four points at the end,” Hardwick said.
“Their process is very solid, they play a good defensive game, they’re a high-pressure side and offensively they move the ball very strong and fast forward.
“We’ve got to be on our best defensively to stop that.”
© AAP
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