One-Eyed Richmond Forum
Football => Richmond Rant => Topic started by: WilliamPowell on January 15, 2025, 08:30:44 PM
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Injury report: 2025 pre-season
Get the latest pre-season injury update.
By Richmond Media
4 hrs ago
Brought to you by nib
Get the latest pre-season injury update from High Performance Manager Ben Serpell.
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell gives an update on the players in rehab thanks to nib.
ACL group
The ACL guys are progressing really well. We're still holding firm on our decision to make sure that we give them time to come back and look at the full 12-month rehab for them. The reality is, we know, research tells us that the graft is still going to undergo some biological healing up until the 12-month mark, so where we can, we'll look after them in that space."
"Having said that, Judson Clarke's probably leading the charge with the ACL guys and, even then, we are probably not expecting him back until around about April."
"Mykelti Lefau’s doing really well and he's out there running a fair bit at the moment. Hopefully over the next couple of weeks or next couple of months, we'll see guys like him start to integrate into drills, but we'll take our time with them."
"Taj Hotton ran with Josh Gibcus for the first time the other day over the other side of the field and boys got around them, stopped training for them so they could get out and cheer them along and, and they did quite well. They've got long careers as I said, so we want to make sure we look after them, make sure they're healed well and that we're minimising risk for re-injury when they come back."
Approach to injury prevention
“We've got such a young group here that we want to spend time making sure that we're developing them athletically."
"We spend a lot of time teaching them how to kick and so on. Reality is, our guys might be lucky to kick 20 to 30 times in a game, but they do a lot more running than that. We're willing to do 20 kicks in a warm-up every day, but we don't spend a lot of time developing our athletes athletically."
"We've taken a proactive approach this year and we're developing our young lads, our new recruits, with Dan Bailey downstairs, who's an accomplished track and field coach. He's working with them this year and teaching them how to move on field, but also teaching them how to lift so that when they come out they're a little bit more robust to play. We’re trying to have that theme right across the squad this year.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1707438/pre-season-injury-update-acl
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Injury Report: January 28
Richmond Media
27 Jan 2025
Richmond High Performance Manager Ben Serpell has provided an injury update, following last Friday’s match simulation.
First-year Tigers Josh Smillie and Jasper Alger both came from the field during the hit-out, which was participated in by excellent numbers.
Smillie will enter a rehabilitation phase, due to a minor hamstring issue, while Alger will return to full training in the very near future.
“Josh has come to the Club and had a sporadic load over the last little while, which is typical of most first years,” Serpell said.
“Because of that (and his minor hamstring issue) we have decided to take a conservative approach with him and give him some consistent training.
“We still expect him to be around the mark for the early parts of the season, hopefully by trial (game) time.”
Jasper Alger remains in contention for those games, following a hyper-extension to his knee.
“Jasper hyper-extended his knee in match play last week. He got a little bit spooked, but the scans came back positively,” Serpell said.
“He will train a little bit later this week and there is a chance he will get out for match play (on Friday).
“But if not this week, it is going to be next week (that he returns to partaking in match play).”
Serpell also gave an update on Josh Gibcus, who will not be available for the early rounds of the season.
“Josh in 2023 underwent surgery to repair his hamstring after a significant strain, which was backed up by his ACL injury last year,” he said.
“So, he has had two traumatic injuries season on season, which is why what we decided to do is take a conservative approach with him.
“Josh is a long-term prospect and as we have said all along, we want to look after him. I think all Richmond fans would agree that once he is back, we want him to stay in the team instead of being in rehab again.
“He went a bit slower through the early stages of his rehab than we would have liked, but we cannot do anything about that because everyone’s body responds in different ways.
“So, he is still a long-term injury prospect, but is tracking quite well otherwise.
“We are unlikely to see Josh in the early rounds. And as I have said earlier- Judson Clarke is the one leading the way among the ACL guys and he is looking at coming back around April.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1710030/richmond-injury-update-january-28
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(https://webassets.sen.com.au/articles/891ca6ed82cdc9f7ed5c0bfd80047046.png)
Tylar Young (Knee) - Working his way back from a torn ACL in 2024.
Mykelti Lefau (Knee) - Working his way back from a torn ACL in 2024.
Josh Gibcus (Knee) - Working his way back from a torn ACL in 2024.
Judson Clarke (Knee) - Working his way back from a torn ACL in 2024. Closer to a return than the others.
Taj Hotton (Knee) - Expected to be eased into his first AFL season off a torn ACL.
Josh Smillie (Hamstring) - Will miss the start of the season.
Jasper Alger (Knee) - Hyperextended knee in pre-season training.
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2025/02/04/your-clubs-injury-list-or-tracking-the-brutal-injury-blows-around-the-afl
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So Smillie goes from "hopefully right for the trial games" to missing the start of the season proper in the space of 8 days?
Has a magically familiar ring to it.... :whistle :help
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So Smillie goes from "hopefully right for the trial games" to missing the start of the season proper in the space of 8 days?
Has a magically familiar ring to it.... :whistle :help
This is very disappointing news. So he will be out for 3 months then with a light hamstring injury?
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So Smillie goes from "hopefully right for the trial games" to missing the start of the season proper in the space of 8 days?
Has a magically familiar ring to it.... :whistle :help
It is a SEN report not a list from the Club, so it's gotta be true right? better whack the Club and the new High Performance manager straight away
Personally, until the Club says it, it is guess work by the media.
I listened to Serpell's interview on Talking Tigers today, he explained the situation with Gibcus and others. He was super impressive. His knowledge around ACL's is exactly what we need.
Even spoke about managing loads for the first year player
Would recommend people have a listen
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WTF Smilie? Hope that's not accurate.
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This is what the Club said back on 28 January (from above https://oneeyed-richmond.com/forum/index.php?topic=33805.msg785023#msg785023)
“Josh has come to the Club and had a sporadic load over the last little while, which is typical of most first years,” Serpell said.
“Because of that (and his minor hamstring issue) we have decided to take a conservative approach with him and give him some consistent training.
“We still expect him to be around the mark for the early parts of the season, hopefully by trial (game) time.”
From that SEN has said he will miss the start of the season ::)
As I said let's wait to hear something official from the Club....
I actually think it is a good thing they are taking a cautious approach with the young kids in particular.... would rather that thwn have them ger over worked and then suffer some sort of injury that keeps them out for months
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Totally agree Willy.
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(https://resources.afl.com.au/photo-resources/2020/11/17/8a4c2df0-2497-41a0-85ac-8cab8feed48a/richmond.jpg?width=1511)
It hasn't been the smoothest of pre-seasons for Richmond, partially due to a hangover of injuries suffered last year.
The ACL quintet of Judson Clarke, Mykelti Lefau, Tylar Young, Josh Gibcus and draftee Taj Hotton remain some way off, with small forward Clarke expected to be the first one back in April.
Gibcus has been put on ice, and is likely to miss at least the first six matches. The backman went back to Qatar for a week over the off-season – not because of any particular issues with his hamstring, but because he enjoyed the body mechanical work he completed in 2023.
Dion Prestia had a strong December block but has been managed in recent weeks, given his extensive hamstring and calf history, which has flared at this point of pre-season in previous years.
Tom Lynch is currently in concussion protocols after a training collision on Friday.
Draftee Josh Smillie picked up a minor hamstring injury during match simulation and is an outside chance to feature in the practice matches, while Jasper Alger suffered a minor knee hyperextension.
Noah Balta has been banned by the club from the practice matches and the first four rounds of the season after pleading guilty to assault following an incident in December.
(http://– Sarah Black)
https://www.afl.com.au/news/1265997/state-of-play-whos-injured-at-your-club
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(https://resources.afl.com.au/photo-resources/2020/11/17/8a4c2df0-2497-41a0-85ac-8cab8feed48a/richmond.jpg?width=1511)
It hasn't been the smoothest of pre-seasons for Richmond, partially due to a hangover of injuries suffered last year.
The ACL quintet of Judson Clarke, Mykelti Lefau, Tylar Young, Josh Gibcus and draftee Taj Hotton remain some way off, with small forward Clarke expected to be the first one back in April.
Gibcus has been put on ice, and is likely to miss at least the first six matches. The backman went back to Qatar for a week over the off-season – not because of any particular issues with his hamstring, but because he enjoyed the body mechanical work he completed in 2023.
Dion Prestia had a strong December block but has been managed in recent weeks, given his extensive hamstring and calf history, which has flared at this point of pre-season in previous years.
Tom Lynch is currently in concussion protocols after a training collision on Friday.
Draftee Josh Smillie picked up a minor hamstring injury during match simulation and is an outside chance to feature in the practice matches, while Jasper Alger suffered a minor knee hyperextension.
Noah Balta has been banned by the club from the practice matches and the first four rounds of the season after pleading guilty to assault following an incident in December.
(http://– Sarah Black)
https://www.afl.com.au/news/1265997/state-of-play-whos-injured-at-your-club
Off to a perfect start??
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Off to a good start with gibcus I see :shh
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Off to a good start with gibcus I see :shh
From Meehan Magic to Serpell Sorcery :shh :shh
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Off to a good start with gibcus I see :shh
From Meehan Magic to Serpell Sorcery :shh :shh
I take it you and Frankie have listened to his interview on the Talking Tigers podcast that clearly explains what's going on with Gibcus and why they're being extra cautious with his comeback? Even if it doesn't suit your biased narrative
I would have thought you would be pleased someone is clearing up the Meehan mess? Clearly not :help
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Gez pack of whingers here get the players right from the beginning not like last seasons circus.
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Gez pack of whingers here get the players right from the beginning not like last seasons circus.
Agreed
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Would be amazing to be able to chose any player on our list, it is what it is
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WTF Smilie? Hope that's not accurate.
Clearly it wasn't
Won't play against the Eagles on Monday but a chance the following week in the praccy game against the Pies
"Richmond's second pick – pick No.7 Josh Smillie – won't face the Eagles after suffering a minor hamstring strain recently, but the Eastern Ranges product is a chance to face the Magpies at Ikon Park on February 26."
From:
https://www.afl.com.au/news/1267139/richmond-tigers-spearhead-tom-lynch-a-lock-stuff-sam-lalor-to-face-west-coast-eagles.
The above article on the AFL website is after interviews at the Club on Tuesday during photo day
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Injury report: 2025 Charity Shield
By Richmond Media
21 Feb 2025
Latest pre-season injury report from High Performance Manager Ben Serpell ahead of the Charity Shield match against Collingwood next Wednesday.
General update ahead of the Charity Shield
"(Pleased with the numbers currently training) and most importantly they're all healthy at the moment. The more we get out there, the more we can share the load and get skills into guys and not overload one or two individuals here and there. So really pleased with where they're at and getting a lot of footy into them."
Hugo Ralphsmith (hamstring)
"It is unfortunate for Hugo. I think that when we're working so close to the margins all the time, we are going to get one or two here or there. He's back into some rehab already. He was already out running today (Friday) and we've got a plan set in place for him. We will be conservative as we go, but as I said, it's unfortunate for him."
Josh Smillie (hamstring)
"Josh Smillie's doing really well. He's in a few drills today, still getting a fair bit of work in out there. We said early doors that we were going to be conservative with him and get a consistent training load into him, so we'll stick with that plan and we'll see him get into more and more footy as the weeks go on."
Sam Lalor (jaw/concussion)
"Look, it was unfortunate for Sam. Not only do we have to worry about him recovering from surgery for a broken jaw, but we also have to go through some concussion protocols for him. He's tracking well, he's in the Club today, and the boys got around him a little bit and he was smiling, albeit with a bit of a swollen face."
Kane McAuliffe (concussion)
"Kane McAuliffe has got through all his concussion protocols and should be available this week."
Harry Armstrong (illness)
"Unfortunate for Harry; he just got a bit sick and couldn't get on the plane. Unfortunately he missed his opportunity to get involved in the Tigers guernsey to start with, but he's up and about now and we're happy with where he's at."
Tom Lynch (concussion)
"Tom Lynch is still progressing through his concussion protocols. We integrated him into his first drill today and we'll see how that plays out over the next couple of days."
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1718983/injury-report-2025-charity-shield
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No chance Smillie plays on Wednesday based on that you'd say?
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Updated: March 4, 2025
(https://resources.afl.com.au/photo-resources/2020/11/17/8a4c2df0-2497-41a0-85ac-8cab8feed48a/richmond.jpg?width=1511)
PLAYER INJURY ESTIMATED RETURN
Judson Clarke ACL TBC
Josh Gibcus ACL TBC
Jonty Faull Back TBC
Taj Hotton ACL TBC
Sam Lalor Jaw, concussion Test
Mykelti Lefau ACL TBC
Dion Prestia Achilles 2-4 weeks
Hugo Ralphsmith Hamstring 2-4 weeks
Josh Smillie Hamstring 2-4 weeks
Tylar Young ACL TBC
In the mix
Given Richmond starts its season in round one, the club will not release an official injury report till next week, with the above timelines being approximations. Tom Lynch (concussion) has confirmed he will be right for round one, while No.1 pick Lalor remains touch-and-go. Clarke is the front-runner of the ACL quintet (who all suffered their injuries in 2024 and should play this year) and is expected back in April. Young midfielder Kane McAuliffe had a late pre-season concussion, but successfully played out the VFL practice match last week – Sarah Black
https://www.afl.com.au/news/1274563/medical-room-the-full-afl-injury-list-or
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Six TBC
Had an entire pre-season to get an idea
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Six TBC
Had an entire pre-season to get an idea
I hate it too but it’s the afl reported one not the clubs one. The club will put out a proper one next week that should have legit lengths of time against each player. If not, I’ll grab a pitchfork with you.
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so let me understand this. Smilie did his hammie about a month ago, if afl was correct, and is now still listed as 2-4 weeks away.
must be some hammie Serpell.
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so let me understand this. Smilie did his hammie about a month ago, if afl was correct, and is now still listed as 2-4 weeks away.
must be some hammie Serpell.
Nothing to see here says Baghdad Bill. :shh
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..
so let me understand this. Smilie did his hammie about a month ago, if afl was correct, and is now still listed as 2-4 weeks away.
must be some hammie Serpell.
Nothing to see here says Baghdad Bill. :shh
Are you referring to me as Baghdad Bill?
If you are your post is a clear bait & troll... #justsayin
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..so let me understand this. Smilie did his hammie about a month ago, if afl was correct, and is now still listed as 2-4 weeks away.
must be some hammie Serpell.
Nothing to see here says Baghdad Bill. :shh
Are you referring to me as Baghdad Bill?
If you are your post is a clear bait & troll... #justsayin
That's clearly the club's job... ::)
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Six TBC
Had an entire pre-season to get an idea
Yep. Slipshod comms
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Injury Report: Round 1, 2025
Last Updated: 4:03 PM Monday, March 10, 2025
Player Injury Estimated Return
Jonty Faull Back Test
Josh Smillie Hamstring 2-4 weeks
Dion Prestia Achilles 3-5 weeks
Hugo Ralphsmith Hamstring 3-5 weeks
Josh Gibcus ACL TBC
Judson Clarke ACL TBC
Taj Hotton ACL TBC
Mykelti Lefau ACL TBC
Tylar Young ACL TBC
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The latest injury update from High Performance Manager Ben Serpell ahead of Thursday night's Round 1 clash against Carlton.
Sam Lalor
Fractured jaw, available
“That was very unlucky for Sam, back over at West Coast, being pushed into that contest."
“He’s held himself high throughout the whole rehab process and put himself in the best position to be selected to play this week."
Tom Lynch
Concussion, available
“Tom Lynch was out there training, really well. Got a lot of confidence in him.
"He’s through his concussion protocols now and no doubt he’ll be a discussion upstairs for match committee."
Dion Prestia
Achilles, 3-5 weeks
“There’s not much change to Dion at the moment. We said a couple of weeks ago that he’d miss the first few rounds of the AFL season, and that’s about where he’s at. He’s progressing well and that’s good for him."
Hugo Ralphsmith
Hamstring, 3-5 weeks
“Hugo’s got an interesting one. He can look quite good, but you probably need to put him in a holding pattern for a while, just to protect him from himself."
"He’s tracking just as we said a few weeks ago, probably miss the first few rounds, but progressing well."
Josh Smillie
Hamstring, 2-4 weeks
“The one with Josh Smillie was more around, we weren’t sure how he’s progressing and healing, so we got the extra scan for him and it showed that it wasn’t progressing as well as what we’d like. So we put him in bit of a holding pattern."
“Last couple of sessions he’s shown some promise. I’m sure the fans are keen to see him out there and so are we, but we’ll make sure we keep looking after him."
Jonty Faull
Back, Test
“Jonty is doing well also. Obviously, he came to the club with that back stress fracture, so for him, he’s integrating into some football now and enjoying it."
“He got through two 20-minute halves of match sim last week. We’re really happy with his progress and we'll just monitor how he is healing going over the next little while."
Judson Clarke and Mykelti Lefau
Knees, TBC
“It’s exciting times for Mykelti and also for Judson. Juddy’s probably the first one back of the group and he’s still on track for that. Also, Mykelti’s starting to integrate with a few drills."
“The other day he was able to get through a full training session with a non-contact hat on, so the excitement around them at the moment is really fine-tuning the last little bits of their rehab and we should see them out (there) in a reasonable amount of time."
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1728178/injury-report-round-1-2025
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Injury Report - Round 2, 2025
Player Injury Estimated Return
Jacob Blight Adductor Test
Jonty Faull Back Test
Josh Smillie Hamstring 1-2 weeks
Hugo Ralphsmith Hamstring 2-4 weeks
Dion Prestia Achilles 3-5 weeks
Judson Clarke ACL TBC
Josh Gibcus ACL TBC
Taj Hotton ACL TBC
Mykelti Lefau ACL TBC
Tylar Young ACL TBC
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Latest injury update from High Performance Manager Ben Serpell ahead of Saturday afternoon's Round 2 clash against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.
Josh Smillie
Hamstring, 1-2 weeks
“No real change to his expected return. He’s tracking quite well, getting some training into him."
“He’s looking around one to two weeks and hopefully get into a bit of footy this week again."
Dion Prestia and Hugo Ralphsmith
Achilles and Hamstring, 2-5 weeks
“They’re tracking well in rehab. There’s no real change to their return-to-play."
“Between them, they’re both two-to-five weeks away. We’ll see them hopefully in a few drills over the coming weeks."
Jonty Faull
Back, Test
“Jonty’s an exciting one. He got to play a bit of VFL on the weekend on limited game time."
“We’ll progress his game time over the next couple of weeks and see him having some impact as the season progresses."
Jacob Blight
Adductor, Test
“He slipped in back play and got a little bit of adductor soreness. He’ll be a test for this weekend and hopefully gets through his cramping and we’ll be right.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1733892/injury-report-round-2-2025
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Josh Gibcus …ACL, wtf I thought it was a hammy?
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Josh Gibcus …ACL, wtf I thought it was a hammy?
Had a significant hammy injury in 2023 then did his acl in round 1 last year.
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Injury Report: Round 3, 2025
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell gives an update ahead of the Round 3 match against St Kilda.
“It was good to see the boys turn up in the second half,” Serpell said.
“I think the upside of what we are seeing is that they are finishing the second half of the game quite well."
“So, what we do know is that they are in a good spot and can run out the game pretty well at the moment.”
Sam Banks
Concussion, 1 week
“Sam will go through the standard return to play protocol.”
“Not only does he have to deal with a concussion, but he also took five or seven stitches to the head as well."
“Hopefully he will be back playing in our game against Brisbane in a couple of weeks.”
Maurice Rioli
Hamstring, Test
“Maurice sustained a small hamstring injury last week and whilst we thought he would be ok to play on the weekend, we thought we would be conservative.”
“He will be a test for this week and hopefully get some game time in this round.”
Josh Smillie
Hamstring, Test
“Smillie has done a great body of work over the last few weeks and he’s training quite well.”
“He will be a test on the back end of the week, but make no mistake if we don’t think he is ready to go, we will look after him a little bit more.”
“He is certainly doing a lot of fast running and is in a great position.”
Hugo Ralphsmith
Hamstring, 1-3 weeks
“Hugo is in a great position as well and we could probably see how he goes this weekend.”
“But again we want to look after him and we will look after him a little bit longer because if we don’t have to rush anything we won’t.”
Dion Prestia
Achilles, 3-4 weeks
“No real change to Dion at the moment.”
“He will just keep pressing on with his rehab and we will look at him in about 3-4 weeks’ time.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1739652/injury-report-round-3-2025
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Injury List
Last Updated: 4:36 PM Monday, March 24, 2025
Player Injury Estimated Return
16. Josh Smillie Hamstring Test
17. Maurice Rioli Hamstring Test
41. Sam Banks Concussion 1 week
13. Hugo Ralphsmith Hamstring 1-3 weeks
3. Dion Prestia Achilles 3-4 weeks
18. Josh Gibcus ACL TBC
23. Judson Clarke ACL TBC
24. Taj Hotton ACL TBC
42. Mykelti Lefau ACL TBC
45. Tylar Young ACL TBC
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/football/afl/injury-list
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Injury Report: Round 4, 2025
Ben Serpell provides the Round 4 Injury Update, before Richmond's clash with Brisbane.
Sam Banks
Concussion, Test
"He's done really well, Banksy. He's got through all his protocols well. He;s just got to get through training on Wednesday.
"Full contact training with no symptoms and he should be available for playing this weekend, if the coaches choose to select him."
Josh Smillie
Hamstring, Test
"Like last week, Smil's got through a good body of work.
"He'll continue to train and we'll make him available for selection this week. We will leave it up to the coaches to have the conversation at the table."
Liam Fawcett
Concussion, 1-2 weeks
"Unfortunately for Liam, he sustained a broken nose and was concussed (in the VFL).
"He'll go through the same protocols as what Sam Banks did (over) the last couple of weeks."
Hugo Ralphsmith
Hamstring, Test
"As it stands, Hugo is available for selection this week, he's still got to get through another training session.
"if he gets through that, he'll be a discussion at the table with the coaches later."
Dion Prestia
Achilles, 2-4 weeks
"He's doing well. There's no real update on where he's at.
"He's getting through quite well. He's trying to push things as quick as he can. Unfortunately, we have to hold Dion back from himself sometimes."
Judson Clarke
ACL, 3-6 weeks
"Judson Clarke will get through his first full week of training this week, with no yellow hat on (no contact). He'll be full contact training.
"We'll do a few weeks of that and he should be available for selection towards the end of April."
Mykelti Lefau, Tylar Young
ACLs, TBC
"We're seeing Mykelti and Youngy join into training with the yellow hat on.
"They're getting through everything, no contact."
Taj Hotton
ACL, TBC
"Taj is not too far off where those two are at, as well.
"He's doing quite well. He's excited."
Josh Gibcus
ACL, TBC
"He's starting to get into a few football drills.
"He's quite a complex case in that he's had that hamstring injury last year, followed by an ACL injury this year.
"He's just taking a little bit more time to respond to his training. But once he is, I'm sure we'll get him out there.
"I'm sure the fans don't want to see him re-hurt, so we will make sure we look after him."
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1744746
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Injury List
Last Updated: 4:40 PM Monday, March 31, 2025
Player Injury Estimated Return
41. Sam Banks Concussion Test
16. Josh Smillie Hamstring Test
13. Hugo Ralphsmith Hamstring Test
37. Liam Fawcett Concussion 1-2 weeks
3. Dion Prestia Achilles 2-4 weeks
23. Judson Clarke ACL 3-6 weeks
18. Josh Gibcus ACL TBC
24. Taj Hotton ACL TBC
42. Mykelti Lefau ACL TBC
45. Tylar Young ACL TBC
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/football/afl/injury-list
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Juddy starting full contact training this week with no yellow cap #GoTiges
https://x.com/Jonesracing82/status/1906596595065667653
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Gibcus is a real worry
Love the way he plays , but the body doesn’t seem up to it at this early stage
Some blokes heal quick , he clearly doesn’t
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Gibcus is a real worry
Love the way he plays , but the body doesn’t seem up to it at this early stage
Some blokes heal quick , he clearly doesn’t
Two very serious injuries so I'll give him a pass.
They're not related but their recoveries are.
Hoping he does a Grimes.
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Richmond Injury Update
RFC website
4 April 2025
Richmond forward Rhyan Mansell has entered a rehabilitation phase for an AC joint injury.
The small forward injured his shoulder in the Round 2 AFL clash against Port Adelaide and re-aggravated it against the Saints last Saturday.
Mansell, who is currently serving a three-week AFL suspension, would have likely missed two weeks with the injury. He should be available for selection at the conclusion of his ban.
Kane McAuliffe will also not play at VFL level in tomorrow's curtain raiser against Brisbane at Punt Road Oval.
The in-form midfielder reported foot soreness before Wednesday’s main training session, with the Club opting for a cautious approach while he awaits scan results.
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1748356/richmond-injury-update
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Injury Report: Round 5, 2025
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell gives a Round 5 Injury Update ahead of AFL Gather Ro
Liam Fawcett
Concussion, Test
"Liam's protocol today was to get through some training with modified contact. He got through that successfully.
"He'll have a day off tomorrow and then we'll go full contact training Wednesday.
"Provided he gets through that without any headaches or symptoms, we'll get him available for selection this weekend."
Kane McAuliffe
Foot, 1-2 weeks
"Kane presented to training a couple of days ago with some soreness in his foot. We took a precautionary approach. We sought expert opinion from inside and outside the Club.
"What we've found in the last little while is that he's responded to a little bit of downtime.
"Whilst we'll rest him this week, he'll probably be available for selection the following week, in the week we play Gold Coast."
Rhyan Mansell
Shoulder, 2-3 weeks
"Rhyan sustained a shoulder injury back in our game against Port Adelaide. Obviously he put in a mountain of work the week after and got himself up for the game against St Kilda.
"Unfortunately, he re-injured his shoulder then (against St Kilda). We'd always made a decision that we were going to jab his shoulder the following week (Round 4), to put him in a good position and give him a bit of downtime.
"He's progressing quite well and will be available for selection once he serves his ban."
Dion Prestia
Achilles, 3-4 weeks
"Dion's still going through (rehab). No real progression on him.
"He's probably going to go through more of a plateau at the moment, until we can see that he's progressing well.
"We'll have some updates on him as soon as we can."
Judson Clarke
ACL, 2-4 weeks
"All going to plan, he's (Judson) available to play in the next 2-4 weeks now."
Mykelti Lefau, Tylar Young, Taj Hotton, Josh Gibcus
ACLs, TBC
"The ACL guys are taking real big advances at the moment.
"Just last week we took them over to AAMI Park and did some testing with Dean from Prepared To Play. We got some extra little results from him, to see where they're at and where they're tracking.
"Happy to say they're tracking fantastically."
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1751911/injury-report-round-5-2025
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Harry Armstrong will miss Sunday’s clash due to a suspected hamstring injury following a collision today at training. The key forward will be scanned tomorrow, with the Club to provide a further update next week.
Sam Lalor (hip) will also miss the trip to the Barossa after pulling up sore from last Saturday’s game.
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1752577
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Armstrong to miss 12 weeks. Wtf ???
And we find out on Friday?
Very very odd.
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Armstrong to miss 12 weeks. Wtf ???
And we find out on Friday?
Very very odd.
Not odd at all considering it happened at training.
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Harry looked to cramp late in the game last week so probably related to that but stuff me are we the only club that gets these high level hamstring injuries
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#Serpellsorcery :shh
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Tendon damage apparently.
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#Serpellsorcery :shh
it has begun... :shh :shh
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What the actual F.
12 weeks may as well write off the rest of the stuffing year.
What a damned shame.
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Armstrong to miss 12 weeks. Wtf ???
And we find out on Friday?
Very very odd.
Not odd at all considering it happened at training.
I didn’t see anywhere that it happened at training ? Obviously that would explain it
Edit : I didn’t read the article on the club website closely enough. Massively disappointing. Probably a cotton wool job for the season and just get him strong
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Harry Armstrong Injury Update
The latest on Richmond forward Harry Armstrong after he injured his hamstring at yesterday's main training session.
By Richmond Media
2 hrs ago
Scans have revealed that Richmond forward Harry Armstrong has suffered a high-grade injury to his hamstring tendon.
The tall forward suffered the injury following an awkward contest at training on Thursday. It is expected that he will be sidelined for around 12 weeks.
Richmond General Manager, Football Performance - Tim Livingstone said it was unlucky for the promising youngster.
“Harry has been terrific since arriving at the Club in the off-season and has made a bright start to his AFL career," Livingstone said.
“Unfortunately, he is now going to miss some football. We will be cautious with Harry across the coming months and make sure that when he returns later in the year that he is ready to go.”
Armstrong has booted multiple goals in two of his four AFL matches.
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1753923/harry-armstrong-injury-update
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Harry looked to cramp late in the game last week so probably related to that but stuff me are we the only club that gets these high level hamstring injuries
Not related to cramping, happened at training
As for other Clubs, same boat as us data shows that. Seems been a general spike in hammy tendon injuries in the last few seasons
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This is a really devastating injury.
Bloke looked the goods. So competitive.
Very bummed for him.
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This is a really devastating injury.
Bloke looked the goods. So competitive.
Very bummed for him.
True but gives Faull and Fawcett huge opportunities now, probably Sims as well
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Hammy in the first season isn’t a big deal, but if he gets another one in the next 12/24 months I’ll be worried
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It's Gibcus all over again. :thumbsdown
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It's Gibcus all over again. :thumbsdown
How so?
We have another bloke on our list who had a pretty serious ha,string tendon injury and he's had no setbacks
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In unfortunate news, Armstrong is expected to be sidelined for around 12 weeks after he suffered a high-grade injury to his hamstring tendon following an awkward contest at training on Thursday.
“We are feeling (for him). He was just starting to get his career going, but we will wrap our arms around him,” Yze said of Armstrong.
“He is just starting his career, just scratching the surface. He will get an opportunity to get bigger and stronger during that time and come back at the latter part of the season.
“Unfortunate but it will give someone else a chance.”
Lalor will also miss the Round 5 clash with Fremantle, and while Yze is hopeful the number one pick will be back next week, he confirmed the Club will take a no-risk approach to his return.
“Another unfortunate one. He was a little bit sore post-game and just didn’t get up,” Yze said of Lalor.
“We are hoping it’s just a one (game missed)…he has just aggravated his hip, a little hip flexor and we are hoping it’s only the one.
“As we will do with all of our young players, if there’s any risk next week, we won’t play him, we will give him that extra one. Right now, we are hoping it’s only one.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1754627/yze-excited-for-faull-debut
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Injury Report: Round 6, 2025
RFC website
15 April 2025
High Performance Manger Ben Serpell gives his Round 6 Injury Update ahead of the side’s clash with the Suns.
Nick Vlastuin
Defender Nick Vlastuin was taken from the ground in the fourth quarter of the game in the Barossa after a run-in with Fremantle’s Patrick Voss left him with a broken nose.
Despite the incident, Vlastuin passed all concussion tests, with Serpell confident he will be right to play this week.
“Broken nose for him (Nick Vlastuin), I’m sure his girlfriend’s not too happy but doing ok otherwise,” Serpell said.
Veteran forward Tom Lynch was subbed out at three quarter time in a move to manage his minutes.
“We used that as an opportunity to manage him and get some younger players on the field," Serpell said.
“They are coming into a six-day turnaround and a five-day turnaround after that.
“He is really important for our team so we wanted to look after him where we could.”
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 11-13 weeks
“Unfortunately, Harry (Armstrong) landed in a position following a contest with Campbell Gray and sustained a hamstring injury," Serpell said.
“It was on the higher end of things, so we’ll take our due diligence with him and look after him like we have with our other young players and all of our players for that matter.
“We’ll seek second and third opinions just to make sure that our management is spot on for him and look at it as an opportunity for Harry to come back even better, bigger, faster, stronger.”
Sam Lalor: Hip, Test
“Sammy (Lalor) will be a test this weekend," Serpell said.
“Unfortunately, he pulled up sore following our game against Brisbane where he got a little bit more midfield time.
“Another day or two he probably would have been alright to go but we will look after him and he will be a test this week.
“He will get through training tomorrow and hopefully be available and a topic for discussion at the selection table later in the week.”
Kane McAuliffe: Foot, Test
“Similar to Sam Lalor, Kane will be a test this week," Serpell said.
“He will get through training tomorrow and hopefully we can put him out there on the weekend at some level.”
Liam Fawcett: Concussion, Cleared
“Liam got through the (VFL) game well and he'll be available for selection this week,” Serpell said.
Rhyan Mansell: Shoulder, 1 week
“Rhyan is tracking pretty well," Serpell said.
“He’ll be ready to return to play as soon as his ban is over and we’re looking forward to getting him back out there.
“He came to Adelaide and put some solid training in over there and had a good time with us over there as well.”
Dion Prestia: Achilles, 3-4 weeks
“Dion’s Achilles injury is still progressing slowly, so we will still take our time with him," Serpell said.
“At this stage, we will see how we are going to manage him closer to returning near the bye.
“He is still a few weeks away, but he’ll obviously come back with limited game time when he’s ready to go.”
Judson Clarke: ACL, 1-2 weeks
“Happy to say that Judson’s only 1 to 2 weeks away and hopefully we will see him out playing soon, coming back through the VFL," Serpell said.
“He’s excited about that as is everyone else at the club. Hopefully next week we will have an update and a return.”
Mykelti Lefau and Tylar Young: ACLs, 6-9 weeks
“Tylar is similar to Mykelti and hopefully by next week, we will have the opportunity to give the amount of weeks away for him," Serpell said.
Taj Hotton and Josh Gibcus: ACLs, TBC
“In terms of Taj, we are still managing him as we have been all year. We will look at him conservatively and as he increases his football loads, we will give more updates then. The same goes for Josh Gibcus,” Serpell said.
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1757356/injury-report-round-6-2025
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Injury List
Player Injury Estimated Return
Sam Lalor Hip Test
Kane McAuliffe Foot Test
Rhyan Mansell Shoulder 1 week
Judson Clarke ACL 1-2 weeks
Dion Prestia Achilles 3-4 weeks
Mykelti Lefau ACL 6-9 weeks
Tylar Young ACL 6-9 weeks
Harry Armstrong Hamstring 11-13 weeks
Taj Hotton ACL TBC
Josh Gibcus ACL TBC
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/football/afl/injury-list
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Reading between the lines that means the season is as good as done for Gibcus
Shattering for the kid
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Reading between the lines that means the season is as good as done for Gibcus
Shattering for the kid
Missing 2 full seasons (bar round 1) last season is insane. That’s much more than being conservative. Unless he has had another setback and if that’s the case they really should be stating that in these reports.
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:facepalm
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Absolute disgrace what was happened to him if this is another year gone. A combination of having a weaker body than most, and the club letting him down.
i remember magic meehan was defended by quite a few on here, which at the time was lauaghbale and even more so now.
this bloke isnt off to a good start either, but il judge him in the fullness of time at the end of next year.
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Reading between the lines that means the season is as good as done for Gibcus
Shattering for the kid
Not sure how you've come to that conclusion TBH
Like Hotton, reckon we will see him 2nd half of the season
But tell you what; I have a Player Sponsor function in a fortnights time, I'll ask him :thumbsup
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Reading between the lines that means the season is as good as done for Gibcus
Shattering for the kid
Not sure how you've come to that conclusion TBH
Like Hotton, reckon we will see him 2nd half of the season
But tell you what; I have a Player Sponsor function in a fortnights time, I'll ask him :thumbsup
I’ll tell you how.
Because the club and their TBC knee updates have been a disgrace all year. Which leads to us making our own conclusions.
Young and Mykelti have just been “upgraded” to 6-9 weeks.
Fair to assume he is behind them and therefore best case of 10 weeks plus.
So even if he is a best case 10 weeks, few weeks VFL, season as good as over.
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I really hope he is not out for the year. He has had a horrible run with injuries. Given the time that has elapsed since the injury occurred it is concerning that a time estimate cannot be provided as to when he can return to playing football. It would be good if the club gave a comprehensive account of what has occurred.
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Reading between the lines that means the season is as good as done for Gibcus
Shattering for the kid
Not sure how you've come to that conclusion TBH
Like Hotton, reckon we will see him 2nd half of the season
But tell you what; I have a Player Sponsor function in a fortnights time, I'll ask him :thumbsup
I’ll tell you how.
Because the club and their TBC knee updates have been a disgrace all year. Which leads to us making our own conclusions.
Young and Mykelti have just been “upgraded” to 6-9 weeks.
Fair to assume he is behind them and therefore best case of 10 weeks plus.
So even if he is a best case 10 weeks, few weeks VFL, season as good as over.
I thought exactly the same thing. Not sure how you could come to any other conclusion. He might get a small handful of games right at the end
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I really hope he is not out for the year. He has had a horrible run with injuries. Given the time that has elapsed since the injury occurred it is concerning that a time estimate cannot be provided as to when he can return to playing football. It would be good if the club gave a comprehensive account of what has occurred.
While I get whacked by some on here (not you elim) and accused of being an apologist for the Club I think with the Gibcus situation they have explained what has occurred and what they are doing and as importantly why they are taking the approach they have.
If you go back to the 1st TT podcast when they spoke to Serpell he explained it. Knee reco, and a secondary follow up knee clean up and a serious hamstring tendon injury over the space of less than 2 years.. basically rehabbing 2 serious injuries together. As I said he explained it all in the podcast and made it clear no time line on his return because they want to get him on the park and have him stay there, not get repeat injuries
What would people prefer? What we had last year where got told 8-10 weeks that got repeated for 15 weeks or what we are getting now?
Clearly they can't win here
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Thank you for that. That makes it much clearer. I really hope he has some luck now and an end to these shocking injuries.
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Absolute disgrace what was happened to him if this is another year gone. A combination of having a weaker body than most, and the club letting him down.
i remember magic meehan was defended by quite a few on here, which at the time was lauaghbale and even more so now.
this bloke isnt off to a good start either, but il judge him in the fullness of time at the end of next year.
Your talking bs what did you expect him to be playing now there taking a caution simple as that. Serpell has handled it well.
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I am not blaming anyone for the situation that Gibcus finds himself in. I don’t think anyone is an apologist for Richmond or the strength and conditioning department.
What I am saying is that TBC for 5 players returning from a reco is absolute BS after they have all pretty much had a year out.
It’s a-ok to say 12-16 weeks and then refine it as the weeks play out.
Until March 31, they were all “TBC” which is total BS. They aren’t all TBC, probably one, possibly two are TBC.
Smells of “under promise, over deliver” but it’s really just poor communication and a lack of care to keep supporters up to date.
Never been this bad.
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I am not blaming anyone for the situation that Gibcus finds himself in. I don’t think anyone is an apologist for Richmond or the strength and conditioning department.
What I am saying is that TBC for 5 players returning from a reco is absolute BS after they have all pretty much had a year out.
It’s a-ok to say 12-16 weeks and then refine it as the weeks play out.
Until March 31, they were all “TBC” which is total BS. They aren’t all TBC, probably one, possibly two are TBC.
Smells of “under promise, over deliver” but it’s really just poor communication and a lack of care to keep supporters up to date.
Never been this bad.
Mykelti looks to be training pretty hard
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Injury List
Player Injury Estimated Return
Samson Ryan Foot 2-3 weeks
Mykelti Lefau ACL 4-6 weeks
Tylar Young ACL 5-7 weeks
Harry Armstrong Hamstring 10-12 weeks
Dion Prestia Achilles TBC
Taj Hotton ACL TBC
Josh Gibcus ACL TBC
----------------------------------------------------
Injury Report: Round 7, 2025
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell has given Judson Clarke and Rhyan Mansell the green light for selection this week.
Judson Clarke: Available
“I’m really looking forward to this weekend because Judson Clarke is going to make his return from an ACL, and he will be available for selection,” Serpell said.
“He is excited to come back, and the last couple of weeks he has been wanting to play footy, and this is his opportunity.”
Rhyan Mansell: Available
“Mansell was pretty good last week, and he probably could’ve played but had to sit out because of his suspension,” Serpell said.
“We are hoping he can have impact at some level this weekend as well.”
Samson Ryan: Foot, 2-3 weeks
“Samson Ryan has come out of the game with a bit of a foot complaint, a fascia plantar complaint, so he will probably miss the next 2-3 weeks,” Serpell said.
“He will get some scans on that over the next couple of days, and we will get a picture on that.”
Mykelti Lefau: ACL, 4-6 weeks
“Mykelti is doing really well, we can say that his timeline is around 4-6 weeks now,” Serpell said.
Tylar Young: ACL, 5-7 weeks
“Tylar Young is doing really well at the moment, and he is probably at 5-7 weeks from returning to play,” Serpell said.
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 10-12 weeks
“No real progress on (Harry) to talk about. We said a while ago it would take 12 weeks, and we are still on track for that,” Serpell said.
Dion Prestia: Achilles, TBC
“Unfortunately, Dion isn’t progressing as well as we liked, so it's hard to put a time frame on him at the moment,” Serpell said.
“We are still looking to get him a bit of gametime before the bye, but we will see how that goes over time."
Taj Hotton and Josh Gibcus: ACLs, TBC
“They are progressing, similar to last week, so I don’t have any real updates on them, but when I have information on that, I will bring it out,” Serpell said.
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1762275/injury-report-round-7-2025
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I hope Prestia can make it back for a few games, deserves to go out on the field.
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I hope Prestia can make it back for a few games, deserves to go out on the field.
Mid season pick please
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I hope Prestia can make it back for a few games, deserves to go out on the field.
Mid season pick please
This is a legit question. I too would love Dion to get a farewell game as this will be his last year. But, if there's still no timeline for his return by the MSD cut-off then will he do a Grigg and pull the pin so the Club can have a MSD pick?
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I hope Prestia can make it back for a few games, deserves to go out on the field.
Mid season pick please
This is a legit question. I too would love Dion to get a farewell game as this will be his last year. But, if there's still no timeline for his return by the MSD cut-off then will he do a Grigg and pull the pin so the Club can have a MSD pick?
I don't reckon he will do a Grigg. He coulda called it end of last season but the previous years haven't shown him yet that unfortunately his body is done.
On a side note....when he is ready to go...whose spot does he take?
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CEO Shane Dunne said it's been unfortunately one step forward one step back for Prestia with that Achilles. Gibcus to be the last of the 'ACLs' to return as the Club is being very conservative with him.
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FMD Dion stop putting yourself ahead of the club, know when you're cooked and just pull the pin already. We need the pick. >:(
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FMD Dion stop putting yourself ahead of the club, know when you're cooked and just pull the pin already. We need the pick. >:(
Surely he will
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INJURY REPORT
Injury Report: Round 8, 2025
A fan favourite edges closer to a return.
By Richmond Media
5 hrs ago
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
nib
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell gives his injury report ahead of Richmond’s Round 8 clash against Hawthorn at the MCG this Sunday.
This Injury Report is brought to you by nib. With nib, life could be potentially amazing.
SCROLL DOWN FOR THE FULL INJURY LIST.
Despite going down in both the AFL and VFL this past round, Serpell takes positives from an “unscathed” playing group after last Thursday’s double-header.
“Definitely not the results we were after, but thankfully we got through the games relatively unscathed,” Serpell said.
“So, from a physical perspective, it was an outcome that we are happy with.”
Judson Clarke made his much-anticipated return to footy, getting through his first hit out in the VFL against Casey since he did his ACL injury in April last year.
“Juddy went really well,” Serpell said.
“He was excited and did some good football things from what I understand.
“The coaches were pretty impressed wherever he went, and we are looking forward to seeing him out there again this week with some increased gametime.”
Samson Ryan: Foot, 1-2 weeks
“We got some scans on Samson Ryan. He is still dealing with a plantar fascia complaint,” Serpell said.
“So hopefully we have him down for one to two weeks from now."
Mykelti Lefau: ACL, 3-5 weeks
“Thankfully, Mykelti has got through a lot of training last week and he is in even better shape now so he will be down for three to five weeks at this point in time,” Serpell said.
Tylar Young: ACL, 4-6 weeks
"Similar to Mykelti, Tylar is progressing really well," Serpell said.
"He has started training this week without a non-contact hat on, so he will have full training the next few weeks, and hopefully he can get a body of work in, and we are confident that he can return to play."
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 9-11 weeks
“Harry is out there doing a bit of running now," Serpell said.
“He is enjoying it, and we are getting some good work into him.
“There is an opportunity here to also work on some other football skills, which is awesome. So, he is still 10 weeks away but progressing quite well.”
Dion Prestia: Achilles, TBC
“Dion is progressing similar to last week,” Serpell said.
“No real update on where he is at, but as I said last week, we will have some information out when we can on him.”
Taj Hotton and Josh Gibcus: ACLs, TBC
“Taj and Josh are going in leaps and bounds as well,” Serpell said.
“Taj is progressing well, and hopefully we will have a timeframe on him in the next week or two.
“Josh is progressing as well but again, hopefully in the next week or two, we will have some timeframes on him, so we will see them on the training track doing more footy drills as the weeks progress.”
Injury List
BROUGHT TO YOU BY
nib
32. Samson Ryan: Injury: Foot
Est. Return: 1-2 weeks
42. Mykelti Lefau: Injury: ACL
Est. Return: 3-5 weeks
45. Tylar Young: Injury: ACL
Est. Return: 4-6 weeks
34. Harry Armstrong: Injury: Hamstring
Est. Return: 9-11 weeks
3. Dion Prestia: Injury: Achilles
Est. Return: TBC
24. Taj Hotton: Injury: ACL
Est. Return: TBC
18. Josh Gibcus: Injury: ACL
Est. Return: TBC
Last Updated: 5:03 pm Monday, April 28, 2025
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1768646/injury-report-round-8-2025
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No Lynch, hopefully it's all good
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No Lynch, hopefully it's all good
Was asked about it at the Player Sponsor function tonight. He's good to go, scan was a precaution and showed up nothing
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No Lynch, hopefully it's all good
Was asked about it at the Player Sponsor function tonight. He's good to go, scan was a precaution and showed up nothing
How’d your Gibcus update go
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No Lynch, hopefully it's all good
Was asked about it at the Player Sponsor function tonight. He's good to go, scan was a precaution and showed up nothing
How’d your Gibcus update go
Very good, thanks had a great chat ;D
He's back doing majoirty of drills except for full contact training, focus for a lot of the pre-seaon was on strengthening not only his knee but both hamstrings. Which makes sense to me seeing he had the tendon injury and the other one they used to get the graft for his knee. Club's just being ultra cautious, no setbacks at all, since the end of last season (which we all knew about). Feeling really strong and confident. No doubt in ,y mind he will play some footy this year
It was a terrific night :clapping
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Thanks for the report on Gibcus and others WP
This type of first hand information is what you can take to the bank .. cheers
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Injury Report: Round 9, 2025
Tiger Cub gets given an official timeline for a return to football.
By Henry Milic, Richmond Media
5 hrs ago
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell provides this week’s injury report ahead of Richmond’s Round 9 clash against the West Coast Eagles at the MCG this Sunday.
This Injury Report is brought to you by nib. With nib, life could be potentially amazing.
After both the AFL and VFL sides' matches on the weekend, Serpell confirmed that the playing group came out relatively bruise-free, however, ruckman Mate Colina is set to be sidelined after he suffered a subluxed patella injury.
In positive news, Serpell told Richmond Media that first-round draft pick Taj Hotton is now 7-10 weeks away from making his return since his ACL injury in May last year.
Samson Ryan: Foot, 1-3 weeks
“Samson is still managing that plantar fascia issue, we just want to make sure we look after him for this next little while,” Serpell said.
“The big guys tend to take a little bit longer, I think we had him down for one to two weeks, but it is probably going to stretch out to one to three (weeks) in this point of time.”
Mykelti Lefau: ACL, 1-3 weeks
“Mykelti is doing very well, I’m happy to say that he will be back in one to three weeks,” Serpell said.
“So hopefully we get through some testing next week and see him on the field very soon.”
Mate Colina: Knee, 2-4 weeks
“As a whole, everyone got through ok (this weekend), but unfortunately, Mate Colina subluxed his patella a little bit, so we will see him out for a couple of weeks here," Serpell said.
“Outside of that, everyone pulled up alright.”
Tylar Young: ACL, 2-4 weeks
“Tylar probably sits a week behind Mykelti, so again he is performing really well in training and as a result I have been able to bring his return to play forward a little bit,” Serpell said.
Dion Prestia: Achilles, 3-5 weeks
“Dion is doing really well,” Serpell said.
“He is getting more and more involved in footy drills, and he is running sessions on the weekends for the rehab guys, so he is putting a good body of work in and hopefully we see him back in three to five weeks.”
Taj Hotton: ACL, 7-10 weeks
“We are happy to say that we can put weeks on Taj Hotton,” Serpell said.
“Back in seven to 10 weeks, which is exciting for him. I just spoke to him this morning, and he is very excited about that.”
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 8-11 weeks
“Harry has been doing really well at training,” Serpell said.
“He still has a bit of work to get through at the moment, but we will see him out there as much as possible for the next little while and hopefully we can build some athletic development through him.”
Josh Gibcus: ACL, TBC
“For Gibbo (Josh Gibcus), what we are going to do is still take a cautious approach,” Serpell said.
“We are still managing those two significant injuries year on year, and we will put him through some testing over the next couple of weeks.
“Hopefully, we can get back with a more accurate timeframe after that.”
Injury List
Brought to you by
nib
Player Injury Estimated Return
32. Samson Ryan: Foot 1-3 weeks
42. Mykelti Lefau: ACL 1-3 weeks
45. Tylar Young: ACL 2-4 weeks
39. Mate Colina: Knee 2-4 weeks
3. Dion Prestia: Achilles 3-5 weeks
24. Taj Hotton: ACL 7-10 weeks
34. Harry Armstrong: Hamstring 8-11 weeks
18. Josh Gibcus: ACL TBC
Last Updated: 4:44 PM Tuesday, May 6, 2025
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1774488/injury-report-round-9-2025
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I'd almost ice Armstrong for the year and do MSD or retire Prestia etc. No point bringing Armstrong back for 2-3 games when we're looking at a bottom 3 finish already anyway
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I'd almost ice Armstrong for the year and do MSD or retire Prestia etc. No point bringing Armstrong back for 2-3 games when we're looking at a bottom 3 finish already anyway
If he’s fit to play, chuck him in. The more games we get into the cubs the better.
If we’re talking about retiring anyone, there’s a certain player listed on the injury list who has never played a game and never looked like it either. Would rather give a player like Prestia who has been so integral to our flags every chance to get atleast 1 farewell game then have a player like colina on the list.
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I'd almost ice Armstrong for the year and do MSD or retire Prestia etc. No point bringing Armstrong back for 2-3 games when we're looking at a bottom 3 finish already anyway
If he’s fit to play, chuck him in. The more games we get into the cubs the better.
If we’re talking about retiring anyone, there’s a certain player listed on the injury list who has never played a game and never looked like it either. Would rather give a player like Prestia who has been so integral to our flags every chance to get atleast 1 farewell game then have a player like colina on the list.
Isn’t Colina category B?
I’d be putting Gibcus on ice if anyone
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I'd almost ice Armstrong for the year and do MSD or retire Prestia etc. No point bringing Armstrong back for 2-3 games when we're looking at a bottom 3 finish already anyway
If he’s fit to play, chuck him in. The more games we get into the cubs the better.
If we’re talking about retiring anyone, there’s a certain player listed on the injury list who has never played a game and never looked like it either. Would rather give a player like Prestia who has been so integral to our flags every chance to get atleast 1 farewell game then have a player like colina on the list.
If he's legitimately 11 weeks away we're talking about what, 3-4 games?
I know we need games in cubs but I'd rather not risk it unless we damned sure he's good to go at full pelt.
This kid has a dip and a half, has shown plenty. I wouldn't risk him at his age for a few games in a spoonish season.
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Injury Report: Round 10, 2025
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell was pleased with the side's resilient two-point win over West Coast and was encouraged by how the playing group pulled up after a hard-fought game.
Despite defender Jayden Short being withdrawn from Sunday's game as a late out due to knee soreness, Serpell is confident that he will play in Sunday's game against the Kangaroos.
"Shorty complained with a bit of knee soreness in the warm-up," Serpell said.
"We are confident that he is going to be available for training this week, and there isn't that much to that knee at the moment."
Similarly, lockdown defender Nathan Broad suffered a dislocated finger during the match but was able to finish out the game thanks to help from Richmond's trainers.
"I watched some post-match footage and we saw him getting it popped back in," Serpell said.
"He is a tough guy, Broady, but there is nothing wrong with his finger, it was just a bit dislocated, and he is all good now."
Serpell also confirmed that key forward Mykelti Lefau will be given the green light for selection this week, if he can get through a test. The 26-year-old has successfully recovered from his ACL injury, which he sustained in Round 12 against Geelong last year.
Serpell said he was impressed by Lefau’s recovery and is excited to see him return.
Mykelti Lefau: ACL, test
"I'm happy to say that he just has to get through one more session, and Kelts will be available for selection this week," Serpell said.
"He will be getting a bit of game time, which is exciting for Mykelti."
Tylar Young: ACL, 1-3 weeks
"Probably about a week behind Mykelti is Tylar Young," Serpell said.
"So he is excited as well, and I'm sure the fans are very excited to see him out there."
Samson Ryan: Foot, 1-2 weeks
"Samson is progressing quite well," Serpell said.
"I think we will look after him over the next couple of weeks and make sure we do the right thing by him.
"Hopefully, within the next week or two after that we'll see him out there, available for selection."
Mate Colina: Knee, 1-3 weeks
"Mate is doing well," Serpell said.
"We expect him to be available for selection in another week or two after this."
Dion Prestia: Achilles, 1-3 weeks
"Exciting to say, contrary to previous weeks, that we can actually bring his timeline earlier," Serpell said.
"We are hoping to see him out there in the next one to three weeks. He has been training well and has been pulling up relatively pain-free."
Taj Hotton: ACL, 6-9 weeks
"Not really a huge update on him from previous weeks," Serpell said.
"We still think he will be back in six to nine weeks at this stage, but again, he is going to be more and more involved in footy drills over the next little while.
"We will see him in a non-contact hat for a bit, then we will take the non-contact hat off him and get him involved."
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 7-10 weeks
"Similarly to Taj, not much of an update on Harry, so we will just bring his return to play a week forward now," Serpell said.
"He is progressing well and getting a mountain of work done from a running perspective at this point in time."
Josh Gibcus: ACL, 7-10 weeks
"I'm really excited to say that we can put a timeframe on Josh Gibcus' return now," Serpell said.
"So we expect him out there in the next seven to 10 weeks, and I think anyone out there watching his training at the moment will see that he is actually involved in a lot of footy drills at the moment.
"He is working at a relatively high intensity, so we will get a bit of work into him over the next little while and look forward to seeing him out there playing later this year."
Josh Smillie: Hamstring, TBC
"Unfortunately for Josh, he came off the track last week with a minor hamstring strain, it's actually so minor that we don't even know when it occurred," Serpell said.
"We are going to spend our time with him over the next few weeks, developing him athletically and making sure that we are doing the right thing for him, not only in the short-term, but in the long-term future.
"So we probably aren't going to put a timeframe on his return, and we are going to focus on his athletic development over the next little while."
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1780473/injury-report-round-10-2025
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Injury List
Mykelti Lefau ACL Test
Samson Ryan Foot 1-2 weeks
Dion Prestia Achilles 1-3 weeks
Tylar Young ACL 1-3 weeks
Mate Colina Knee 1-3 weeks
Taj Hotton ACL 6-9 weeks
Harry Armstrong Hamstring 7-10 weeks
Josh Gibcus ACL 7-10 weeks
Josh Smillie Hamstring TBC
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/football/afl/injury-list
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No more TBC for Gibcus :thumbsup
Another frkn hammy for Smillie :thumbsdown
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...Injury Report: Round 11, 2025
Three Tigers are available for selection, while two veterans are ruled out of Dreamtime at the 'G.
By Richmond Media
4 hrs ago
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell gives his injury report ahead of Richmond's Dreamtime at the 'G clash with Essendon this Friday night.
As announced on Monday, forward Tom Lynch has entered the concussion protocols after reporting delayed symptoms following Sunday's game. He will miss Friday night's match against the Bombers.
Defender Jayden Short will also spend further time on the sidelines, having missed the past two games, after sustaining a soleus strain in his calf.
However, Serpell confirmed that three Tigers in Dion Prestia, Tylar Young and Samson Ryan, will all be available for selection this week.
Mykelti Lefau also made a successful return from his ACL injury over the weekend in the side's VFL match with North, kicking a goal and finishing with eight disposals on managed minutes.
"Kelts pulled up really well," Serpell said.
"He came out of the game having reached a lot of the same metrics as he did pre-injury, albeit over a shorter amount of gametime, but as a whole, he has pulled up well and we are looking forward to seeing him out there again this weekend with even more gametime."
Dion Prestia: Available
"Happy to say that Dion will be available for selection this week," Serpell said.
"I'm sure the fans are pretty excited about that, and it's good for Dion. He has a big smile on his face, and it will be good to see him play this year."
Tylar Young: Available
"I'm happy to say that Tylar Young will return to play this week," Serpell said.
"So he will be available for selection, and as with Mykelti last week, all of the boys are excited to see him get out there, and they will get around him over the next week or so."
Samson Ryan: Available
"Samson Ryan will be available for selection this week," Serpell said.
"That's exciting for him, and the rest of the boys are excited about that too."
Tom Lynch: Concussion, 1 week
"Tom Lynch sustained a concussion which didn't present until well after the game, it was more of a delayed onset," Serpell said.
"He will go through the concussion protocols now, but with things going well, he will be available for selection against GWS in a couple of weeks."
Jayden Short: Calf, 1-2 weeks
"Shorty missed a game a couple of weeks ago, where he pulled out in the warm-up due to knee soreness," Serpell said.
"Unfortunately, in the last couple of weeks, that knee soreness has tracked to the back of his leg, and he has sustained a small soleus strain in his calf.
"We will manage that over the next couple of weeks, and just like we do with any of our other players, we will take a precautionary approach with it and give him a bit of time.
"He will miss the next one to two (weeks), so we can make sure that he is right to go when he is available."
Mate Colina: Knee, 1-2 weeks
"Mate got through a good body of work last week, but he probably still needs another week of training to go before we are comfortable sending him out," Serpell said.
"Hopefully, in the not-too-distant future, we will see Mate out there."
Taj Hotton: ACL, 5-8 weeks
Josh Gibcus: ACL, 6-9 weeks
"Taj is doing well, but no real update on where he is at from last week," Serpell said.
"We will just bring his timeline a week earlier.
"The same for Gibbo (Josh Gibcus), both of them are training pretty hard and getting a fair bit done.
"Wearing a non-contact hat, but both are performing well, and we will go through some testing with them at the back end of this week."
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 7-9 weeks
"Not a lot of update on him," Serpell said.
"He is progressing well and getting a good body of work in. He is running a lot, and starting to run a little bit faster as well, but again, his timeline just comes back a week sooner now."
Josh Smillie: Hamstring, TBC
"Josh Smillie is doing well," Serpell said.
"The injury itself is healing quite well, as we said last week, we want to look after Josh and make sure he is in a good position, not only in the short term but in the long term.
"So we are going to continue with his athletic development over the next little while, and when we feel that he is ready to play a good amount of footy, we will throw him out there.
"Until that point in time, we are just going to focus on him as an athlete and as a footballer."
Injury List
Player Injury Estimated Return
19. Tom Lynch Concussion 1 week
15. Jayden Short Calf 1-2 weeks
39. Mate Colina Knee 1-2 weeks
24. Taj Hotton ACL 5-8 weeks
18. Josh Gibcus ACL 6-9 weeks
34. Harry Armstrong Hamstring 7-9 weeks
16. Josh Smillie Hamstring TBC
Last Updated: 4:02 PM Tuesday, May 20, 2025
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1786368/injury-report-round-11-2025....
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I think the strength and conditioning team are doing a better job this year. There are still areas to improve but it’s good to see it gradually getting better
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With Lalor’s hammy, that’s now 3 of our draftees done a hammy, in smilies case 3 times now?, in the first half of the year. That can’t be a coincidence.
I recall Serpell or the club atleast saying they would be on a modified program in the off season, I wonder if that’s still continuing ? I think I also recall Serpell talking about high intensity, short sessions, like sprints ? Repeat efforts etc.
Wonder if that’s had a bad effect on the young boys.
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With Lalor’s hammy, that’s now 3 of our draftees done a hammy, in smilies case 3 times now?, in the first half of the year. That can’t be a coincidence.
I recall Serpell or the club atleast saying they would be on a modified program in the off season, I wonder if that’s still continuing ? I think I also recall Serpell talking about high intensity, short sessions, like sprints ? Repeat efforts etc.
Wonder if that’s had a bad effect on the young boys.
#sorcery :shh
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i think serpel is no better thus far than the previous clown. Thats what i think.
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I agree with the thinking Lalor should have been rested
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Serpel just keeps them out longer and doubles the rehab period. Not a lot of science to it, it seems.
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Is the Punt Road surface ok?
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Is the Punt Road surface ok?
One of many questions that need to be asked. :shh
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Never thought I'd be glad to hear a prayer is out for more weeks but I'm sort of glad that Short it out for 2 more and Dow 6-8 weeks it sounds like.
Lalor a real shame.
But this gives us a chance to play guys like Sonsie in the midfield properly. Keep KMac2 in the team etc.
Hope they resist the temptation to bring Meatball straight back into the side after his managed VFL minutes.
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With Lalor’s hammy, that’s now 3 of our draftees done a hammy, in smilies case 3 times now?, in the first half of the year. That can’t be a coincidence.
I recall Serpell or the club atleast saying they would be on a modified program in the off season, I wonder if that’s still continuing ? I think I also recall Serpell talking about high intensity, short sessions, like sprints ? Repeat efforts etc.
Wonder if that’s had a bad effect on the young boys.
I know I'm in the minority but I think people are readng far too much into it. All CLubs are having issues with soft tissue injuries. Have said it many times the shorter pre-season has alot to with it IMHO
Re our 3 draftees - developing bodies dealing with the rigors of AFL. Lalor was on a modified program when he was first drafted. He's strained the hamstring he severely injured last year in his draft year. So the Club decides to go down to the conservative path (again and correctly I might add) and people are up in arms about it. I see on CH7 news they ran story as Lalor's going to miss up to 6 weeks. Talk about over the top. What would people prefer? they go down the 21 days route and he goes out does it again? Damn if they damn if they don't
Armstrong, stuff accident at training. Smilie, yes he's done it 3 times so this time they are concentrating on strengthening the hammy and his entire core strength and low and behold people are not happy. these kids are our future better to take time with these things now and get it right
I do remember a 3 time premiership player having hammy issues at the start of his career :whistle
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I have a foot in your camp Wilbur but think club could have rested him on a 5 day break.
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Injury Report: Round 12, 2025
The skipper returns, while two young Tigers face setbacks.
By Richmond Media
3 hrs ago
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell gives his injury update as Richmond prepares to travel to Sydney, where it will take on the GWS Giants this Saturday.
Despite missing out on Friday night’s Dreamtime clash with Essendon, Serpell confirmed Tigers captain Toby Nankervis will be available for selection this week, after being managed by the Club.
“Toby Nankervis has been carrying a knee injury, like many ruckmen,” Serpell said.
“He is a bit of a machine to be honest, but last week we decided to rest him because we had an opportunity to.
“In fact, we had to hold him back from playing, but we think we have managed him quite well and definitely available for selection this week.”
Two young Tigers, Sam Lalor and Thomson Dow, will unfortunately spend time on the sidelines after sustaining injuries in last week’s match.
Dow has suffered a dislocated kneecap, seeing him sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, while number one draft pick Lalor has suffered a hamstring injury, seeing him miss the next four to six weeks.
Despite the added injuries, Serpell took confidence in the returns of Dion Prestia and Tylar Young, who competed in the side's VFL match on Saturday night against Essendon.
“They both did really well,” Serpell said.
“Dion had a smile on his face and enjoyed his time out there, and Tylar had a really big impact from what I understand, so a great return to play from both of them.”
Tom Lynch: Concussion, Test
“Lynchy has to get through the last couple of stages of his concussion protocol,” Serpell said.
“That involves a bit of contact at training today and then a full contact session later in the week.
“If he gets through that symptom-free, then he will be available for selection this weekend against GWS.”
Mate Colina: Knee, Test
“I’m glad to say that Mate is expected to be available this week, but again, we just got to get through the main training session during the week,” Serpell said.
“If he gets through that symptom-free then he will be available for selection.”
Jayden Short: Calf, 1-2 weeks
“Sadly, Shorty’s calf injury isn’t progressing as well as we would have liked,” Serpell said.
“As we said last week, we are going to look after our players, and it will probably be another week before we can give an indication of where he is coming back to.
“In addition to his calf injury, we have to make sure he is conditioned for the game, so probably another week or two before we see him.”
Sam Lalor: Hamstring, 4-6 weeks
“Sammy Lalor had a re-aggravation of his hamstring injury that he sustained prior to coming to the Club,” Serpell said.
“Unfortunately for him, he is going to miss a bit of gametime, thankfully it’s only going to be around about three games though.”
Thomson Dow: Patella, 6-8 weeks
“Unfortunately, Thomson Dow dislocated his kneecap,” Serpell said.
“We will see how he progresses clinically over the next little while.”
Taj Hotton: ACL, 4-7 weeks
Josh Gibcus: ACL, 5-8 weeks
“Both Taj and Gibbo are going really well,” Serpell said.
“We expect to see them out training in the next few weeks without a non-contact hat on.
“About four or so weeks of that and we can expect to see them out playing again, so progressing well.”
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 6-8 weeks
“Harry is still chipping away,” Serpell said.
“It’s a long process for him, and again, not many real updates for him, but we will bring his return to play forward by a week.”
Josh Smillie: Hamstring, TBC
“Smillie is progressing quite well, but again not really many updates on him,” Serpell said.
“We want to focus on his development from an athletic perspective.
“The hamstring itself is looking quite good, but we want to make sure that he is ready to play senior football as soon as possible and make sure he is robust for that.”
Injury List
19. Tom Lynch: Injury: Concussion, Est. Return: Test
39. Mate Colina: Injury: Knee, Est. Return: Test
15. Jayden Short: Injury: Calf, Est. Return: 1-2 weeks
22. Sam Lalor: Injury: Hamstring, Est. Return: 4-6 weeks
24. Taj Hotton: Injury: ACL, Est. Return: 4-7 weeks
18. Josh Gibcus: Injury: ACL, Est. Return: 5-8 weeks
27. Thomson Dow: Injury: Patella, Est. Return: 6-8 weeks
34. Harry Armstrong: Injury: Hamstring, Est. Return: 6-8 weeks
16. Josh Smillie: Injury: Hamstring, Est. Return: TBC
Last Updated: 4:58 PM Monday, May 26, 2025
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1791747/injury-report-round-12-2025
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With Lalor’s hammy, that’s now 3 of our draftees done a hammy, in smilies case 3 times now?, in the first half of the year. That can’t be a coincidence.
I recall Serpell or the club atleast saying they would be on a modified program in the off season, I wonder if that’s still continuing ? I think I also recall Serpell talking about high intensity, short sessions, like sprints ? Repeat efforts etc.
Wonder if that’s had a bad effect on the young boys.
I know I'm in the minority but I think people are readng far too much into it. All CLubs are having issues with soft tissue injuries. Have said it many times the shorter pre-season has alot to with it IMHO
Re our 3 draftees - developing bodies dealing with the rigors of AFL. Lalor was on a modified program when he was first drafted. He's strained the hamstring he severely injured last year in his draft year. So the Club decides to go down to the conservative path (again and correctly I might add) and people are up in arms about it. I see on CH7 news they ran story as Lalor's going to miss up to 6 weeks. Talk about over the top. What would people prefer? they go down the 21 days route and he goes out does it again? Damn if they damn if they don't
Armstrong, stuff accident at training. Smilie, yes he's done it 3 times so this time they are concentrating on strengthening the hammy and his entire core strength and low and behold people are not happy. these kids are our future better to take time with these things now and get it right
I do remember a 3 time premiership player having hammy issues at the start of his career :whistle
It’s not about the club going down the conservative path once he’s injured it, it’s that he got injured in the first place. I’m a believer in bad luck, but for 3 of our draftees to sustain the same injury can not be a coincidence. Perhaps they needed more rest, or to continue to be on a different program, we obviously don’t know. But what’s for sure is that what they have done hasn’t worked
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Both Smillie and Armstrong are on special programs due to their current injuries. Prior to those injuries they were not on special programs
Lalor was on a modified program when 1st drafted but has been on the regular program since Feb.
I will say it again every club is having issues with soft tissue injuries. It’s not like the RFC are the only Club facing it. Soft tissue injuries have been on the rose since the AFLPA demanded a shorter preseason in the latest CBA, that is definitely not a coincidence
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Touch wood that in 6 weeks we can be looking forward to seeing Lalor, Smillie, Hotton, Gibcus and Armstrong playing footy.
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Injury Report: Round 13, 2025
Player Injury Estimated Return
Jayden Short Calf 1 week
Sam Lalor Hamstring 3-5 weeks
Josh Smillie Conditioning 3-5 weeks
Taj Hotton ACL 3-6 weeks
Josh Gibcus ACL 4-7 weeks
Harry Armstrong Hamstring 5-7 weeks
Thomson Dow Patella 5-8 weeks
----------------------------------------------
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell provides the Round 13 Injury Report ahead of Richmond’s clash with the Sydney Swans this weekend.
Jayden Short: Calf, 1 week
“Last week we said he was about 1 to 2 weeks away, and I’m happy to say that is still the case,” Serpell said.
“He is still at least one game away, and he is progressing well and starting to get some real inroads in his training sessions.”
Sam Lalor: Hamstring, 3-5 weeks
“He is doing really well and on track,” Serpell said.
“Not a lot of progress to report on there, but his rehab is going well, and we expect to see him out within that timeframe that we originally said. We will just bring his return to play forward a week.”
Josh Smillie: Conditioning, 3-5 weeks
“From a hamstring health perspective, he is pretty good, but we feel like he needs to go through a conditioning block," Serpell said.
“We are going to continue with that over the next week, and we will expect to see him coming back soon after the bye.”
Last week, head coach Adem Yze said Smillie is "progressing nicely...right now, it's more around what he's doing in the gym and things like that. Really strengthening it before he gets going". Read more from Yze here.
Taj Hotton: ACL, 3-6 weeks
“Taj is progressing really well,” Serpell said.
“Last week was his first week of full-contact training, so we will see him do that over the next couple of weeks. We will hopefully see him back playing soon after the bye.”
Josh Gibcus: ACL, 4-7 weeks
“Gibo is doing quite well,” Serpell said.
“He is probably just a little bit behind him (Hotton), so it’s a bit of a race to get back to play with both of them. Both are doing really well, and Gibo is going to integrate some more contact drills over the next couple of weeks.”
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 5-7 weeks
“He is starting to look like a bit of an athlete,” Serpell said.
“He is doing well with Dan Bailey in rehab. We are just going to bring his return to play forward a week.”
Thomson Dow: Patella, 5-8 weeks
“Not too much to report on Dowy,” Serpell said.
“We are just waiting to see how he responds clinically following that kneecap dislocation. His return to play we can expect to bring forward a week.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1797296/injury-report-round-13-2025
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Samson is injured as well with foot soreness.
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Taj is set to play post-bye.
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Josh Smillie is the interesting one
I’ve never seen players out injured for “conditioning block”
Does that mean he’s unfit ? Considering the hamstring is pretty good.
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Josh Smillie is the interesting one
I’ve never seen players out injured for “conditioning block”
Does that mean he’s unfit ? Considering the hamstring is pretty good.
I am assuming that they are getting specific about what it is in his body which is susceptible to hamstring injury - it might be his running technique or he might need to strengthen other parts around the hamstring to avoid it getting over worked. I am clearly not a strength and conditioning expert but would support a tailored program for him given the set backs this year
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Josh Smillie is the interesting one
I’ve never seen players out injured for “conditioning block”
Does that mean he’s unfit ? Considering the hamstring is pretty good.
I am assuming that they are getting specific about what it is in his body which is susceptible to hamstring injury - it might be his running technique or he might need to strengthen other parts around the hamstring to avoid it getting over worked. I am clearly not a strength and conditioning expert but would support a tailored program for him given the set backs this year
Fair enough :cheers :cheers
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Injury Report: Round 14, 2025
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell provides an update on Judson Clarke, Campbell Gray, Taj Hotton and plenty of other Tigers in this week's injury report.
Jayden Short: Calf, Test
“He has started to make some gains, but he will remain a test for when we face the Western Bulldogs in Round 15,” Serpell said.
Taj Hotton: ACL, Test
“Taj is progressing well," Serpell said.
"He has increased his training load unrestricted and is completing a good volume of football. With more exposure towards the end of this week and next week, we’d expect to see him return to play in the week of AFL Round 15.”
Sam Lalor: Hamstring, 2-4 weeks
Josh Smillie: Conditioning, 2-4 weeks
“They are both progressing running loads well and increasing strength," Serpell said.
“We can say they are both likely to return between AFL Rounds 16 and 18.”
Josh Gibcus: ACL, 3-6 weeks
“Gibcus is entering the final stages of his rehab, and I can comfortably say that he’s only 3-6 weeks away from returning to play,” Serpell said.
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 4-6 weeks
“Harry is progressing well and beginning to integrate into footy,” Serpell said.
“It was quite a significant injury, so we are treating him quite conservatively while also balancing the need for him to get involved with more football for him to develop.”
Thomson Dow: Patella, 4-7 weeks
Serpell said Dow is “making slow progress" on his patella injury.
Campbell Gray: Knee, TBC
“As reported over the weekend, Campbell sustained a posterolateral knee injury,” Serpell said.
“We will allow Campbell to rest this week and try to put together some timelines later in the week once we return to training.”
Judson Clarke: ACL, Season
“We will consult a surgeon this week and work with Judson and the surgeon on deciding the best course of action surrounding impending surgery,” Serpell said.
“His season will be over.”
‐-------‐--------------------------------------
Injury List
Jayden Short Calf Test
Taj Hotton ACL Test
Sam Lalor Hamstring 2-4 weeks
Josh Smillie Conditioning 2-4 weeks
Josh Gibcus ACL 3-6 weeks
Harry Armstrong Hamstring 4-6 weeks
Thomson Dow Patella 4-7 weeks
Campbell Gray Knee TBC
Judson Clarke ACL Season
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1802535/injury-report-round-14-2025
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So guys like Armstrong and Gibcus could realistically play a handful of games at the end of the year.
If it's worth it.
Gotta think about that.
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Always worth it for mine. The ultra conservative approach has been taken, why hold
Them back even more. Let them play and get some momentum for the off season and 2026
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Always worth it for mine. The ultra conservative approach has been taken, why hold
Them back even more. Let them play and get some momentum for the off season and 2026
The Serpell inquisition will be on if any of them gets hurt
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Injury Report:
Taj Hotton ACL Test
Jayden Short Calf 1 week
Sam Lalor Hamstring 1-3 weeks
Josh Smillie Conditioning 2-4 weeks
Harry Armstrong Hamstring 2-5 weeks
Josh Gibcus ACL 2-5 weeks
Thomson Dow Patella 4-7 weeks
Campbell Gray Knee TBC
Judson Clarke ACL Season
----------------------------
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell provides an injury update:
Taj Hotton: ACL, Test
"Exciting to say that Taj is a test for this week. If he gets through main training on Thursday, then he'll be available to play this weekend," Serpell said.
Jayden Short: Calf, 1 week
"Jayden Short was down for a test and we started testing him last week. He probably hasn't progressed as well as we would have liked, so we will give him another week before we make him available for selection," Serpell said.
Sam Lalor: Hamstring, 1-3 weeks
"Sammy Lalor is going quite well, unlike everyone else, he didn't get a break last week and was in for a bit of rehab. He did a bit of running yesterday and ran fast for the first time for a while," Serpell said.
"We want to spend a bit of time to make sure that he's ready to perform, not just play, and he can slot straight back into the AFL side if needed."
Josh Smillie: Conditioning, 2-4 weeks
"Smil's having a conditioning block and that's going quite well at the moment, he's making some really good gains athletically," Serpell said.
"We're ready for him to continue running fast and doing that a lot. We're probably looking around two to four weeks with him."
Josh Gibcus: ACL, 2-5 weeks
"Gibbo is doing really well, we're excited to see him out there doing more training without a non-contact hat on. That's exciting," Serpell said.
"He also missed out on having a break, but he came in and got a good body of work done through the bye period, putting himself in the best position possible to get back to play.
"We're expecting him to be available for selection in around two to five weeks."
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 2-5 weeks
“Harry, similar to the other guys, didn't go away last week and came in for some more training. He's running fast and he's getting involved in a lot more footy drills now," Serpell said.
"Unfortunately for Harry, because he's missed such a big chunk of time, we need to make sure that he does get enough footy exposure over the next little while. With the bye, he missed that, so he's still around two to five weeks away."
Thomson Dow: Patella, 4-7 weeks
"Unfortunately for Dowy, things aren't progressing too well in these early stages. He's still yet to start running," Serpell said.
"We'll just wait until we can get some swelling off that knee before he starts running."
Campbell Gray: Knee, TBC
“Similar to Dowy, Campbell Gray, we're not really sure where he's at. We just want to see where he settles for the next little while," Serpell said.
"He tried running the other day, didn't respond all that well, so we can't really give a timeline. Thankfully, he avoided serious injury, so we can expect to see him out there again this year."
Judson Clarke: ACL, Season
"We're still in the process of consulting a number of different surgeons, to make sure that we can get this right going forward. Once we've got an idea of what we're going to do, we'll give an update of where that's at and when he gets surgery," Serpell said.
"But certainly, he's not due back until next year, at this stage."
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1806887/injury-report-round-15-2025
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Looks like we have some troops returning in the next few weeks. All of Lalor, Smillie, Armstrong, Gibcus. Very exciting ! Good they can all crack into the seniors
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Injury List
Player Injury Estimated Return
Sam Lalor Hamstring Test
Harry Armstrong Hamstring 1 week
Josh Gibcus ACL 1 week
Jayden Short Calf 1 week
Josh Smillie Conditioning 1-3 weeks
Campbell Gray Knee 2-4 weeks
Kane McAuliffe Quad 3-4 weeks
Thomson Dow Patella 3-6 weeks
Samson Ryan Foot TBC
Judson Clarke ACL Season
Mate Colina Shoulder Season
-------------------------------------------------------------
Injury Report: Round 16, 2025
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell provides this week’s injury report as Richmond prepares to host Adelaide on Sunday.
Sam Lalor: Hamstring, Test
“Sammy has done really well from a rehab perspective, and he will be a test this week,” Serpell said.
“We will make him available on the selection table, and then the coaches will make a call on his future from there.”
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 1 week
“We expect him to get through training this week and hopefully see him running around in that week against Geelong,” Serpell said.
Josh Gibcus: ACL, 1 week
“Gibo is doing exceptionally well,” Serpell said.
“I’d say this is his last week out, and then we will put him as a test next week, and we expect him to get some gametime in our game against Geelong next week, probably at VFL.”
Jayden Short: Calf, 1 week
“Shorty is likely to miss another week,” Serpell said.
“As I said last week, he was a test, but he probably didn’t perform as well as we would have liked him to, not just from an injury perspective but from a performance perspective.
“We will give him another week here and test him leading into our Geelong week game in a couple of weeks.”
Josh Smillie: Conditioning, 1-3 weeks
“Smils is doing very well,” Serpell said.
“I think we had him down for 2-4 weeks last week, and now we can bring that forward to one to three (weeks).
“I would comfortably say that it would be on the later end of that, but he is certainly getting a good body of work in, and this will set him up for his whole football career.”
Campbell Gray: Knee, 2-4 weeks
“Campbell Gray started doing a little bit of running last week and a little bit of kick and move, so happy to put a timeline on him now,” Serpell said.
“We expect him to miss the next two to four games and be back playing a bit later this year, so really good news on Campbell Gray.”
Kane McAuliffe: Quad, 3-4 weeks
“Sadly for Kane, he sustained a quad injury in training last week, and he was pulled from the game towards the end of the week,” Serpell said.
“We are expecting him to miss around three to four weeks now on that quad strain.”
Thomson Dow: Patella, 3-6 weeks
“Not a whole lot to update you on Thomson Dow,” Serpell said.
“He is still struggling a little bit with that patella, so we will just bring his weeks forward and see how he progresses over the next couple of weeks.”
Samson Ryan: Foot, TBC
“Samson is still struggling with his foot,” Serpell said.
“I don’t really have a timeframe on that, but he is still struggling with his plantar fascia issue.
“Hopefully we can get him out to do a bit of meaningful running in the next little while, and then we can put a time frame on his return.”
Mate Colina: Shoulder, Season
“Sadly, for Mate, he dislocated his shoulder in the VFL game towards the end of game, and unfortunately for him, I think his season is done,” Serpell said.
Judson Clarke: ACL, Season
“Juddy is doing quite well,” Serpell said.
“He is getting surgery this week, and beyond that, we will just get around him and look to the future and make sure we have the best rehab plan in place for him after that.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1813197/injury-report-round-16-2025
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Add Fawcett to the injury list with an ankle.
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Injury List
Player Injury Estimated Return
Josh Gibcus ACL Test
Jayden Short Calf Test
Harry Armstrong Hamstring 1 week
Campbell Gray Knee 1-2 weeks
Josh Smillie Conditioning 1-3 weeks
Kane McAuliffe Quad 2-3 weeks
Thomson Dow Patella 3-6 weeks
Mykelti Lefau Calf 4-6 weeks
Liam Fawcett Foot 6-8 weeks
Samson Ryan Foot TBC
Judson Clarke ACL Season
Mate Colina Shoulder Season
Injury Report: Round 17, 2025
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell caught up with Richmond Media to deliver this week’s injury update, with the side preparing for Geelong on Saturday.
Sam Lalor: Hamstring, Available
“Sam passed all of his tests last week, but we made a decision that the best thing for him going forward for his long-term career was to just get a few more football exposures before we throw him back into AFL football,” Serpell said.
“He did some extra footy training last week, and he will get through a full session tomorrow, and then we will see him out there this weekend.”
Josh Gibcus: ACL, Test
"Gibo’s just got to get through one more training session tomorrow, a light training session, and happy to say (after that) he will play his first game of footy for a long time,” Serpell said.
Jayden Short: Calf, Test
“Similar to Gibo, he has to get through tomorrow's session, probably a smaller session than he has had to go through the last couple of weeks, and hopefully we see him out there this week as well,” Serpell said.
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 1 week
“Harry is tracking well,” Serpell said.
“He passed all of his fitness tests, and repeated scans showed that his hamstring had healed probably better than we actually thought he would.
“Unfortunately, an unrelated medical condition is probably going to rule him out for another week.
“We are hoping to see him for Essendon, but we will see how he responds to training this week.”
Campbell Gray: Knee, 1-2 weeks
“Campbell is doing really well and is training really well, and we are happy to bring his return to play forward,” Serpell said.
“He will only miss one more game, and he will go through a test next week and hopefully play in that Essendon round.”
Josh Smillie: Conditioning, 1-3 weeks
“Smillie is going ok,” Serpell said.
“He was a bit sick on the back end of last week, and that has kind of stalled his progress a little bit, so once he gets back into training, we will give you a little bit more of an update of where he is progressing from there.”
Kane McAuliffe: Quad, 2-3 weeks
“He is tracking well, so we will just bring his return to play forward and expect him to miss another two to three games and see him out there playing a game pretty soon,” Serpell said.
Thomson Dow: Patella, 3-6 weeks
“Dowy is not going too well,” Serpell said.
“We started some overground work with him this week, and he didn’t respond well to that, so we are just going to see how he goes clinically over the next little while and make some calls from there.
“I can’t really say that we will bring his return to play back any sooner, but we are hoping for the best for him.”
Mykelti Lefau: Calf, 4-6 weeks
“Sadly, for Mykelti, he sustained a calf injury in the second quarter, and he was subbed out of the game,” Serpell said.
“He had scans conducted yesterday, and we are probably looking at four to six games he’s going to miss out.”
Liam Fawcett: Foot, 6-8 weeks
“Sadly, for Liam, he sustained a syndesmosis injury in training last week,” Serpell said.
“He had surgery earlier this week, and we can still expect to see him out there at the back end of the year."
Samson Ryan: Foot, TBC
“Samson Ryan hopefully will start a bit of overground running this week, and then we will have a bit more of an idea of his return to play after that,” Serpell said.
Mate Colina: Shoulder, Season
Judson Clarke: ACL, Season
“Both underwent surgery, and from all reports, surgery went well. Sadly for them, their seasons are done, but we’re looking forward to seeing them around the Club and having a few smiles here and there from them.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1819067/injury-report-round-17-2025
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Is Smilie ever gonna get on the paddock?
Another injury prone player it seems.
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"Dowy is not going too well"
So no different to before the injury. :shh
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Gee we need Armstrong back
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Is Smilie ever gonna get on the paddock?
Another injury prone player it seems.
Not even sure what they mean by conditioning? He's been out for months with a hamstring strain. Something doesn't add up? Can't he get conditioning whilst playing?
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If he hasn’t got the fitness levels to play a game out, due to not getting the miles in because you can’t run when you have a leg injury and as a first year player didn’t have an AFL level of fitness in the first place and being a big player in the midfield I can understand why his conditioning wouldn’t be there yet
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"Dowy is not going too well"
So no different to before the injury. :shh
I would gladly have him take Sonsies spot though
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Is Smilie ever gonna get on the paddock?
Another injury prone player it seems.
Year 1 :shh
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Seeing Josh Gibcus as TEST and needing to get through 1 more training session before playing a game on the weekend, brings lots of joy.
Fingers crossed for him.
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Taking an injury prone player at pick 1 is now looking very dicey… 😬
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Taking an injury prone player at pick 1 is now looking very dicey… 😬
Add an incompetent fitness staff and it's a perfect storm. :banghead
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Taking an injury prone player at pick 1 is now looking very dicey… 😬
Yeah Jagga wasn’t injury prone but did his knee, total crap shoot.
I would imagine our draftees this year are feeling a bit down.
Hope it all turns around
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Taking an injury prone player at pick 1 is now looking very dicey… 😬
Yeah Jagga wasn’t injury prone but did his knee, total crap shoot.
I would imagine our draftees this year are feeling a bit down.
Hope it all turns around
The Jagga situation is one thing, but Lalor had hamstring issues in his draft year and has now had multiple this year… that is concerning.
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I agree Willy. I thought it was coming together a bit better this year but here we are with a very similar situation to last year but with our younger players
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Taking an injury prone player at pick 1 is now looking very dicey… 😬
Yeah Jagga wasn’t injury prone but did his knee, total crap shoot.
I would imagine our draftees this year are feeling a bit down.
Hope it all turns around
The Jagga situation is one thing, but Lalor had hamstring issues in his draft year and has now had multiple this year… that is concerning.
yep 100%. To throw smith in that convo is odd. It is not like he had an acl pre draft unlike others who have just had a second :shh
We really need to be looking beyond what Serpell. He is out of his depth IMO.
tell me Ben how is that speed working for you now champ?
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1712401/tigers-strive-for-speed-under-new-fitness-boss
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These guys are still kids and their bodies are still growing and adapting to a higher physical workload than they’ve ever experienced. I’d prefer they get their injuries out of the way early so that they get their bodies right now with a view to playing 12-14 years injury free.
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These guys are still kids and their bodies are still growing and adapting to a higher physical workload than they’ve ever experienced. I’d prefer they get their injuries out of the way early so that they get their bodies right now with a view to playing 12-14 years injury free.
Bingo and thank you :clapping :clapping
You nailed it
Not what people want to hear (read) but the above is spot on the money
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These guys are still kids and their bodies are still growing and adapting to a higher physical workload than they’ve ever experienced. I’d prefer they get their injuries out of the way early so that they get their bodies right now with a view to playing 12-14 years injury free.
Is there any evidence that you can actually get your injuries out of the way early, like having kids in your late teens as well?
I want them all to do a Dylan Grimes but not aware there's any correlation.
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These guys are still kids and their bodies are still growing and adapting to a higher physical workload than they’ve ever experienced. I’d prefer they get their injuries out of the way early so that they get their bodies right now with a view to playing 12-14 years injury free.
Is there any evidence that you can actually get your injuries out of the way early, like having kids in your late teens as well?
I want them all to do a Dylan Grimes but not aware there's any correlation.
It’s factual that growing bodies are more prone to injury than a mature athlete
Very much like a young horse going shin sore as they develop
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These guys are still kids and their bodies are still growing and adapting to a higher physical workload than they’ve ever experienced. I’d prefer they get their injuries out of the way early so that they get their bodies right now with a view to playing 12-14 years injury free.
Is there any evidence that you can actually get your injuries out of the way early, like having kids in your late teens as well?
I want them all to do a Dylan Grimes but not aware there's any correlation.
It’s factual that growing bodies are more prone to injury than a mature athlete
Very much like a young horse going shin sore as they develop
Sure.
Injury prone when younger.
But no evidence whatsoever that you can get injuries out of the way by having them earlier.
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Is there any evidence that you can actually get your injuries out of the way early, like having kids in your late teens as well?
Started fathering kids in my late teens & was still fathering them in my early 40's, so not sure about that. :shh
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Are people really implying we should not have taken Lalor based on a hamstring injury in his draft year.
It was pretty obvious of all draftees taken Lalor was most likely the one with the biggest upside.
Has there ever been a player who did not have a career because of Hamstring injuries? Lalor was not a risk because of a Hamstring injury sheesh.If there was a risk it was extremely minor in the scheme of things.
If it was an Acl recurrence i could understand all the teeth knashing but a bloody Hamstring its laughable.
Do we now need to get to the bottom of his problem 100% we do im pretty sure we will.
I originally had Taj Hotton at around pick 18 but with 4 picks inside the top 14 i was pretty pleased with where we took him ACL or no ACL.
Imo with the history of recurrence of such a serious injury he was a bit of a risk. He was the best player left in the draft and IF HE had not had injury would most likely have gone top 5 at worst.
Ultimately Sam will be fine and if there is a problem that keeps on pinging his Hammy then far better we look into it now it now.
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Are people really implying we should not have taken Lalor based on a hamstring injury in his draft year.
It was pretty obvious of all draftees taken Lalor was most likely the one with the biggest upside.
Has there ever been a player who did not have a career because of Hamstring injuries? Lalor was not a risk because of a Hamstring injury sheesh.If there was a risk it was extremely minor in the scheme of things.
If it was an Acl recurrence i could understand all the teeth knashing but a bloody Hamstring its laughable.
Do we now need to get to the bottom of his problem 100% we do im pretty sure we will.
I originally had Taj Hotton at around pick 18 but with 4 picks inside the top 14 i was pretty pleased with where we took him ACL or no ACL.
Imo with the history of recurrence of such a serious injury he was a bit of a risk. He was the best player left in the draft and IF HE had not had injury would most likely have gone top 5 at worst.
Ultimately Sam will be fine and if there is a problem that keeps on pinging his Hammy then far better we look into it now it now.
Makes sense, but how do we explain Gibsons long term issues, poor bugger
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https://www.afl.com.au/video/1359756/first-up-tigers-criticised-for-lalor-injury-kane-calls-out-coachs-patronising-comments?videoId=1359756&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1751794305001
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https://www.afl.com.au/video/1359756/first-up-tigers-criticised-for-lalor-injury-kane-calls-out-coachs-patronising-comments?videoId=1359756&modal=true&type=video&publishFrom=1751794305001
LOL at Kane Cornes saying we rushed him back. The gave him an extra week. He was right to go last week and they didn't play him. It was 5 weeks.
But let's not get the facts get in the way of a good rant ::)
Makes sense, but how do we explain Gibsons long term issues, poor bugger
Players after ACLs can have hamstring issues. Gibcus had a serious hamstring issue. They have basically been rehabbing the 2 long term injuries to ensure neither happens again.
It's been explained a number of times but unfortunately it seems because it isn't what people want to hear it's easier to be critical of that process
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These guys are still kids and their bodies are still growing and adapting to a higher physical workload than they’ve ever experienced. I’d prefer they get their injuries out of the way early so that they get their bodies right now with a view to playing 12-14 years injury free.
Bingo and thank you :clapping :clapping
You nailed it
Not what people want to hear (read) but the above is spot on the money
O’Sullivan, Langford, Lindsey and Ashcroft have all played the whole season.
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And Murphy Reid.
We’re just “unlucky” though guys. Nothing to see here…
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And Murphy Reid.
We’re just “unlucky” though guys. Nothing to see here…
Add Kako, Travaglia and Trainor.
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Injury Report: Round 18, 2025
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell gives his injury update ahead of Richmond’s match with Essendon this Saturday night.
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, test
“Harry is doing quite well,” Serpell said.
“He is a test for this weekend, and as we said last week, he was ruled out of play due to an unrelated medical condition and he is a test for this weekend but unlikely to pass this test this week, to be fair, but hopefully we see him out there the week after that.”
Campbell Gray: Knee, test
“Campbell Gray, I can confidently say, is a test for this weekend,” Serpell said.
“Hopefully, we see him out playing this weekend.”
Josh Smillie: Conditioning, 1-2 weeks
“He is doing quite well. He got viral (illness) last week and missed out on a block of training, but has come back over the weekend looking quite well,” Serpell said.
“Last week, I said he was probably one to three weeks away, and he is probably going to be at the back end of that, and we will probably still hold on to that.
“Still about one to two weeks away, and we will make a call after that.”
Kane McAuliffe: Quad, 1-2 weeks
“Kane McAuliffe is progressing quite well, he is out there running fast and kicking a ball," Serpell said.
"We just have to get him involved in a bit more football, and that will happen over the next couple of weeks. He is probably around one to two weeks away.”
Jasper Alger: Ankle, 3-4 weeks
“Jasper Alger injured his ankle in the first quarter, and credit to the young lad, he got out there and saw out the game,” Serpell said.
“Unfortunately, he is going to be out for the next three to four weeks with a low-grade syndesmosis injury.”
Mykelti Lefau: Calf, 3-5 weeks
“Kelt's is starting to walk around pain-free and doing quite well, so I think last week we said four to six weeks, and I’m happy to say we will bring that forward a week,” Serpell said.
Liam Fawcett: Foot, 5-7 weeks
“Liam had surgery on his ankle last week for a syndesmosis injury,” Serpell said.
“We will bring him forward to five to seven (weeks), and we are hopeful that he can get back out for some game time at the back end of the year.
“We still have plenty of VFL games to go and hopefully VFL finals as well, so hopefully he can have an impact in that, but if not, we will look after him and set him up for a really good pre-season.”
Thomson Dow: Patella, 2-5 weeks
“Thomson Dow started running last week,” Serpell said.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t respond too well to that, so we are kind of back at square one with that.
“We are just going to continue to work with him and see how he responds clinically, and we will look to push him out, hopefully by the end of the year, but his timeline is getting a bit finer.”
Sam Lalor: Hamstring, season
“We are all devastated for the young man, and I am sure our fans are too,” Serpell said.
“After a strong, meticulous rehab, unfortunately, he did re-injure his hamstring. It is his third time on that hamstring and the second (occasion) with us.
“The injury mechanism here for Sam this time was very different to his original injury mechanism.
“He sustained the injury in a tackle. I think anyone who throws their body at the game (in the same way) as he did, and credit to him for doing that, is going to put their body at some risk irrespective of their injury history.”
Serpell said that the Club would explore surgical options to strengthen the structure of Lalor’s hamstring.
“We are a bit concerned about the integrity of the hamstring structure,” he said.
“As part of that, we will consult a few surgeons over the next little while to see if there is some surgical intervention available for us.”
Hugo Ralphsmith: Hamstring, season
“Hugo Ralphsmith sustained a hamstring injury late in the game and unfortunately for both of them (Lalor), it’s going to rule them out for the rest of the year,” Serpell said.
Jacob Bauer: ACL, Season
“Unfortunately, we did see an ACL injury for Jacob Bauer,” Serpell said.
“Sustained in contact in an aerial contest in the third quarter.”
Samson Ryan: Foot, TBC
“Samson started running this week and pulled up quite well,” Serpell said.
“He will have his next session coming up, and that plantar fasciitis is finally starting to settle, so we aren’t ruling him out for the rest of the year.
"We are still trying to set him up and will be happy to see him out there, hopefully soon.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1824311/injury-report-round-18-2025
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Smillie, Gray, Armstrong and McAuliffe will get games this year.
Everyone else may as well be on ice tbh.
And injuries or not I'd be de-listing Bauer, Dow, Ryan (contracted, yep), HRS. Do their surgeries if required, rehab them at the club over the summer unless they find a new club. No contracts.
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wtf is going on down there? Hamstring carnage and some players like Smilie struggling to get back from hammy issues.
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Last year all over again. Some injuries are bad luck, but there’s just no way all of them are.
That’s 4 of our draftees with relatively serious in their first year. Would be surprised if that’s ever happened before
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WTF is Ralphsmith out for the season. Do we just throw out hands in the air and say f. It. Seasons nearly done, let's not worry about it.
Far out, this is crap.
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WTF is Ralphsmith out for the season. Do we just throw out hands in the air and say f. It. Seasons nearly done, let's not worry about it.
Far out, this is crap.
Second hammy this year
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Scenario
Injured
You follow medico’s program
It doesn’t work
Injured again
You follow their program again
It doesn’t work
Injured again
Players talk
They say the program is no good
They say medico’s are no good
You can’t trust them
What is there to say??
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Players talk
They say the program is no good
They say medico’s are no good
You can’t trust them
What is there to say??
"Players talk"
Fact or hypothetical?
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Snip
The belittling, ridiculing and bullying of posters stops now. No need for it, it's pathetic and TBBH gutless. Disagree fine but have the courage to debate the topics without the bullying and insults
Happens again then strikes will be issued
And yes we have a complete list of strikes issued and how many per poster
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So 13 players unavailable through injuries. Add 3 who are on modified VFL programs from returning ACL in Young, Gibcus and Hotten.
This is 2 years running where we have an insanely high injury count. It may not be 1 person or department fault, but this stuff doesn't happen to clubs who are in the top 4. This didn't happen to us even 25% as bad for us during 2017-2022. There is a link between success and a healthy list.
It is something we must review and get right, I can handle losses even for another season in 2027 being bottom 4, but I can't accept our high quality draft picks constantly getting injured and putting 200+ game careers at risk because we won't acknowledge this is something that needs addressing. Whether it's medical, conditioning, diet, selection, training loads, interchange rotations, time on ground, game style, it all has to be looked at to get better.
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Players talk
They say the program is no good
They say medico’s are no good
You can’t trust them
What is there to say??
"Players talk"
Fact or hypothetical?
Hypothetical, but it must happen
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So 13 players unavailable through injuries. Add 3 who are on modified VFL programs from returning ACL in Young, Gibcus and Hotten.
This is 2 years running where we have an insanely high injury count. It may not be 1 person or department fault, but this stuff doesn't happen to clubs who are in the top 4. This didn't happen to us even 25% as bad for us during 2017-2022. There is a link between success and a healthy list.
It is something we must review and get right, I can handle losses even for another season in 2027 being bottom 4, but I can't accept our high quality draft picks constantly getting injured and putting 200+ game careers at risk because we won't acknowledge this is something that needs addressing. Whether it's medical, conditioning, diet, selection, training loads, interchange rotations, time on ground, game style, it all has to be looked at to get better.
Great post. Even that rabble at tullamarine are doing an extensive review of the high performance department. What is Yze doing? Giving serpell a pat on the back?
No way in hell Dimma would accept this ,so let's Yze show some actual balls which at this stage I don't believe he has any.
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That’s 100% on the footy department to initiate not Yze.
Should yze be demanding this be done? Probably and for all we know, maybe he is. But there is no way on earth he can initiate that himself.
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The "staggering" statistics surrounding taxing injury crisis
By SEN
8 July 2025
Garry Lyon is staggered by the amount of young players missing AFL games through injury due to the demands of the modern game.
Lyon says he has an issue with the demands that the game puts on first and second-year draftees in particular.
Read Lyon's thoughts below:
“We narrow the size of lists, which means we then put more pressure on the actual list you've got. We lengthen the game. All we've done in recent times is make the season longer,” Lyon said on SEN Breakfast.
“So what's your answer? It started on the 7th of March. The season started on the 7th of March.
“We're now in the middle of July, we've got 15 weeks still for the season to finish. 15 weeks!
“We've got these kids who are coming in and we make lists smaller. So the poor old Tigers, who are in a situation where they've got to play their kids - I’m not saying they're under pressure to play Sam Lalor - but in an ideal world, Sam Lalor doesn't play last week and might only play two times for the rest of the year.
“I’m looking at Melbourne's future. There's Harvey Langford and Xavier Lindsay. I don't want them to play every game for the rest of this year.
“Alix Tauru, who I think is the most exciting young player I've seen emerge for a long time, had to be held back because he had a back injury. So he gets more time to prepare.
“I spoke to a senior coach about this - they draft these kids out of under-18 or school footy. They de-load them, so they get them into the system, and you're not lifting heavy weights to prepare yourself for a big season.
“They de-load so you're just all about technique to make sure that (you build good habits), so they haven't got that basis.
“They're drafted in October. They do a few weeks, the Christmas break comes around, they get weeks off, they come back, within six weeks they want them to play senior footy, and they want them to play over a 25-week period.”
Staggering numbers
“The amount of games missed to injury by top 30 draft picks.
“In 2021 it was 147, in 2022 it was 251, in 2023 it was 379.
“And last year it was 447 games missed, and at the moment we're at 383 games of kids who have missed through injury.
“So this is just my opinion - you don't have to agree with it. I look at Geelong, who have been the smartest team in the competition - when's the last time you saw an 18-year-old kid play for Geelong?
“Connor O'Sullivan played one game last year for the Cats, and then they said, ‘no, no, no, you're not ready’. So he didn't play again (until this year).
“Ollie Dempsey won the NAB Rising Star for Geelong in his third year.”
Cats in unique position
Co-host Tim Watson pointed out that Geelong is in a very different position to a lot of other teams, giving them the luxury to debut some of their youngster at a later stage.
“But they've worked their way into a unique position though because of the success they've had over a long period of time now, and the type of team that they've been building,” said Watson.
“I would think that they've looked at this, and they've looked at the productivity that they can get out of early draft picks, but then their philosophy within the club has been different to a lot of other clubs.
“They haven't gone back for a reset or a rebuild or call it what you like. They've been able to continue to top up and they've been able to manage it beautifully.
“They haven't relied like Richmond on a complete rebuild or reset, go and get all the kids and play the kids and try and get as much time and experience into them as quickly as they possibly can.”
Limited numbers on lists
Lyon continued: “Not to the detriment of their careers.
“This is the problem with limited numbers on lists.
“I understand where Richmond are at. They'll turn around and say, ‘Hey, we ain't got any choice’. So they'll play another debutant at some stage.
“But you don't want Sam Lalor playing 20 games this year. You want him playing 250 games down the track.
“I’ve got every club's top picks over the last five years.
“The list of players that have missed through injuries after they've got drafted is staggering.
“Do you know much about Josh Goater? Drafted in 2021, missed five games, then he missed 22, then he missed 15 games. So he's the first or second-round pick.
“Taylor Goad hadn't played much footy. These kids that have come through and missing footy is unbelievable.
“And what's our answer? The AFL will go, ‘we're going to make the season longer, we're going to make it more demanding, and we're going to take numbers off the playing list’.”
What about Daicos, Sheezel, Selwood etc.?
“There are exceptions. There's no problem about that, and I understand that.
“But we need to limit how much game time they should have in their first and second years and try and facilitate it that way, because you don't want this list I've got in my hand…
“Zach Reid, who's just come in… the Will Ashcroft knee, Nik Cox, Denver Grainger-Barras, Josh Gibcus, Josh Goater, Brayden George, Angus Sheldrick, Elijah Hewett, these are all kids.”
Longer season not the answer
“I spoke to a senior AFL coach who said this - The answer from the AFL to all these questions is to put more weeks into the season and build more pressure on these kids.
“I would ideally love to see a 20 or 22-week season, but it's about managing loads for these kids, essentially is where I'm getting to.
“In an ideal world, percentages of time you can play, senior games, try to take it out of the hands of the teams themselves.
“But you've got list sizes which compromise your ability to do that. If we did that to Essendon and said, you can only play first-year players 65-75 per cent of the season, and second-year players 85 per cent, then that might mean they have to take Isaac Kako out of the side this week, and they just might not end up with enough players.
“Again, what's the answer from the AFL? ‘Oh, let's make the season longer’.
“And guess what? I'll tell you what else we'll do in this game that you've just described as the hardest physical game in the world - let's make the quarters longer as well.
“Let's leave them out there longer because of all this nonsense, bull dust reviews, wait for a boundary umpire, for all that nonsense.
“So, season gets longer, weeks get longer, you're in training longer, and the damn games are going longer.
“And you wonder why you these first and second-year players are missing so many games.”
https://www.sen.com.au/news/2025/07/08/lyon-staggering-injury-toll-on-young-players-is-an-issue
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Injury list
Updated 14 July 2025.
Player Injury Estimated Return
Josh Smillie Conditioning 1-2 weeks
Kane McAuliffe Quad 1-2 weeks
Mykelti Lefau Calf 2-4 weeks
Thomson Dow Patella 2-5 weeks
Liam Fawcett Foot 4-6 weeks
Campbell Gray Knee 6-8 weeks
Samson Ryan Foot TBC
Sam Lalor Hamstring Season
Hugo Ralphsmith Hamstring Season
Judson Clarke ACL Season
Jacob Bauer ACL Season
Mate Colina Shoulder Season
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/football/afl/injury-list
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Injury Report: Round 19, 2025
High Performance Manager Ben Serpell provides his injury report as Richmond prepares to travel to Perth to face the Eagles.
Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, available
“Harry is doing really well and got through everything last week,” Serpell said.
“I’m happy to say that he is available this weekend.”
Jasper Alger: Ankle, available
“We scanned Jasper’s ankle last week after the injury report and realised the injury wasn’t as severe as what we thought originally,” Serpell said.
“Happy to say that he has pulled through training last week and is available for selection this week.”
Josh Smillie: Conditioning, 1-2 weeks
“Josh is going alright at the moment,” Serpell said.
“There is no VFL game this week...we would like to bring him back through the VFL. We are still going to list him as one to two weeks just to make sure he gets the opportunity to get football exposure.
"Still a little way off but progressing well now.”
Kane McAuliffe: Quad, 1-2 weeks
“Kane is doing well with his rehab,” Serpell said.
“As I said with Josh Smillie, there is no VFL game this weekend, so on the off chance we wanted to bring him back through the VFL, there is no opportunity for that this week.
“It’s probably best if we say that he is one to two weeks away, and we will see how he progresses.”
Mykelti Lefau: Calf, 2-4 weeks
“Kelts is doing well,” Serpell said.
“He is getting through all his rehab and happy to bring his return to play forward another week. He is about 2-4 weeks away now.”
Liam Fawcett: Foot, 4-6 weeks
“Liam is doing well, he is out of the boot now and walking around,” Serpell said.
“We will start to progress him a little bit this week and hopefully running towards the end of next week. We can still comfortably say that he is four to six weeks away.”
Thomson Dow: Patella, 2-5 weeks
“Sadly, Dowy has not made any progress, so I don’t want to bring his return to play forward at the moment,” Serpell said.
Campbell Gray: Knee, 6-8 weeks
“Campbell Gray’s test didn’t go too well last week and unfortunately it has set him back a little bit,” Serpell said.
“We are looking at him for another six to eight weeks away.”
Samson Ryan: Foot, TBC
“Samson has started some overground running now without any adverse reactions,” Serpell said.
“Hopefully we can increase his running load over the next little while and hopefully progress a little bit of jumping into him and see him out on the park hopefully soon.”
Sam Lalor: Hamstring, season
“We consulted a few surgeons for Sammy’s case, and there is a fairly strong consensus that surgery was required for him,” Serpell said.
“After three injuries to the same side over the last 12 months, it was clear that it was unlikely that hamstring was going to heal in that spot.
“He will undergo surgery this week and will look forward to hopefully having a quick recovery and get most of pre-season done.”
https://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1830810/injury-report-round-19-2025