Injuries a ‘blessing’ in disguise for Tiges
RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick says the club’s injury woes have been “a bit of a blessing”, as captain Trent Cotchin was yesterday ruled out until at least Round 7.
Hardwick said Cotchin “won’t play” against Melbourne on Anzac Eve next Wednesday as he continues his recovery from a hamstring injury he suffered in Round 3.
Forward and vice-captain Jack Riewoldt (wrist) is rated “more likely” to return for the clash with the Demons, but is still no certainty.
The Tigers regain Dustin Martin (suspension) and Bachar Houli (hamstring) for tomorrow night’s clash with Sydney, but Hardwick said his team had taken plenty from a win over Port Adelaide last week without a host of stars.
“The one thing that this has been is a bit of a blessing in a way because we’ve unearthed some talent that is going to help us in the long term,” Hardwick said.
“With the addition of [Sydney] Stack, young [Liam] Baker, Jack Ross, these sort of players, it creates a real good opportunity and a good look. From crisis comes opportunity and that’s something we’ve been really blessed with.”
Hardwick said the Tigers would not be taking the 1-3 Swans lightly, adding they “never quite start off that well” and are “certainly capable of flicking the switch”.
Stand-in vice-captain Dylan Grimes is set to get first crack on Sydney spearhead Lance Franklin, but Hardwick said it would take a team approach to limit the impact of the key forward. “Grimesy is probably the likely guy but Buddy, he plays different positions,” Hardwick said.
Richmond won the most recent clash between the sides in Round 15 last year by 26 points.