Two-time premiership Tiger targets post-quarantine return
Richmond star Bachar Houli has travelled to Queensland and is eyeing a return to the field By Callum Twomey
afl.com.au
3 August 2020RICHMOND defender Bachar Houli is targeting a return to the Tigers' backline for their round 12 clash with Gold Coast after arriving to quarantine in Queensland.
Houli has not played since round five after choosing to stay in Victoria instead of heading away to Richmond's hub due to the impending birth of his third child.
He was among five Richmond players to jet out of Victoria on Thursday and will complete 14 days of quarantine before they can rejoin the full group.
The Tigers are fixtured to meet the Suns on Monday, August 17 at the Gabba and Houli, who has brought his young family to Queensland, is hoping for a recall for the clash.
"I'm not going to lie and tell you I haven't been looking at the fixture," Houli told AFL.com.au.
"I'll always put my hand up provided my body's right and then it's all up to 'Dimma' (coach Damien Hardwick) and the coaches to make the decision if they need me in the team."
The two-time premiership player endured calf issues at the start of the season and again during the shutdown period, but he said his time spent training at Punt Road away from the main group of Tigers has him ready for the rigours of the AFL.
"The body's great. I've pretty much trained as if I'm playing and that's been the great thing about having five or six other boys stay back at help me train as well," he said.
"When I'm called up to play, whenever that is, I'm ready to play and I won't need two or three weeks to gain that physicality and getting used to games.
"I'll put my hand up, providing the body continues to hold up, but I feel fresh and I feel really good, and I honestly can't wait to get back playing games."
The 2019 Virgin Australia All Australian revealed last month his mother was in intensive care in Melbourne with COVID-19.
The 32-year-old had planned to rejoin Richmond with the AFL's group of staff and players more than two weeks ago but postponed the move as his mother underwent heavy treatment.
He said he had made the trip to the Gold Coast with his family's blessing and that his mother's health had improved.
"She's doing much better now which is good. For me it wasn't simply just me making the decision to come up here. I come from an extended family and a family that we depend and rely on each other," Houli said.
"I spoke to my oldest brother, who's a surgeon, and he knew all the pros and cons and he said 'There's nothing you can do here, the reality if there's nothing you can do here, we won't be able to see Mum for a little bit and there's seven of us still here so there's enough support'.
"Then I went to Dad and he didn't let me finish the sentence, he said 'Go and follow your dream because you can't do as much here'.
"It was a family decision and thankfully it's going well, mum's pretty much out of ICU now but her recovery period will be extended."
https://www.afl.com.au/news/480314/two-time-premiership-tiger-targets-post-quarantine-return
