Tigers, Suns negotiate key losses ahead of clash

SEVEN days earlier Richmond coach Damien Hardwick would have envisaged a very different defensive 50 battle to the one which looms ahead of Saturday’s crucial clash at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast.

The Tigers have since lost linchpin Nick Vlastuin to suspension but his absence was tempered by the late withdrawal of in-form Suns smallforward Izak Rankine, who will miss due to health and safety protocols.

“It would have saved us 40 minutes if we’d known Rankine wasn’t playing – we were having discussions for a long period of time (on Thursday),” said Hardwick from the Gold Coast.

“He’s had a great year, Izak – he’s one of the form players of the comp – but Sammy Day is a very capable player as well … so we have to make sure we look after those three talls with Levi (Casboult) and Mabior (Chol), so it will be a challenge for all our blokes.”

The Tigers have recalled Ben Miller for his third game of the season to help combat the inclusion of Day, but it’s through the middle of the ground that Hardwick was most concerned with matchups.

“Their midfield is as good as is going around the AFL at the moment. Guys like Touk Miller, Matt Rowell and (Noah) Anderson are AFL stars really, so our midfield battle has to be good,” Hardwick said, welcoming the return of Dion Prestia from concussion protocols.

The Tigers will celebrate two milestones on Saturday, with Marlion Pickett playing in his 50th game and Nathan Broad bringing up the century.

It will be a double delight for Pickett, Richmond’s 2017 mid-season rookie selection, who gets to wear the Tigers’ indigenous jersey he helped design for the first time.