Graham ruled out but Broad shaping well for Tigers
Top doc Peter Larkins can’t see Coniglio being picked Rioli tests positive in drug test
AFL:
Midfielder Jack Graham has been ruled out of Richmond’s side to play Greater Western Sydney in Saturday’s grand final, but defender Dylan Grimes is growing in confidence that Nathan Broad (concussion) will be right to play.
Broad and Graham took to the track for a light session at Punt Rd yesterday before the latter was ruled out.
Graham’s shoulder was heavily strapped and he didn’t complete all the drills, including stretches that would have tested his injury.
Broad looked sharp and didn’t appear to have any lingering issues from his heavy knock last Friday night.
A handful of Tigers are on standby – Jack Ross and Kamdyn McIntosh, who were both rested from Sunday’s VFL grand final, and Sydney Stack and Marlion Pickett, who played.
Grimes said of Broad: “He’s in good spirits and seems back to normal. I’m not sure if he has passed the testing and that sort of stuff yet, but from talking to him before he seems back on earth, which is a good result.”
Grimes said he was unsure who he would play on this Saturday. He missed the Round 3 clash with the Giants which the Tigers lost, but played mostly on Jeremy Cameron and Toby Greene when Richmond knocked off GWS in Round 17.
“They are both in pretty good form,” Grimes said of Cameron and Greene.
— Glenn McFarlane AFL:
Willie Rioli’s future in the AFL would appear to be even more grim after he tested positive for marijuana on a match day just weeks after his alleged urine tampering.
The AFL announced yesterday that Rioli had tested positive for a metabolite of marijuana in a September 5 ASADA drug test after West Coast’s elimination final win over Essendon.
Marijuana is an incompetition prohibited substance under the code, meaning the breach could attract a ban of several years.
Rioli is already facing a ban of up to four years after allegedly tampering with his urine sample during an ASADA test on August 20.
It’s been reported that on that occasion, a frustrated and dehydrated Rioli poured a sports drink into his sample jar after being unable to pass urine for more than three hours.
The 24-year-old is currently in the Northern Territory with family.
West Coast said it was not in a position to go into detail about Rioli’s positive drug test.
“As stipulated two weeks ago, the club’s primary concern remains the health and wellbeing of Willie,” the Eagles said in a statement.
“We will continue to support him through this particularly challenging time to assist him while this ongoing investigation runs its course.”
— Justin Chadwick