Tigers have close to fully fit list for start of pre-seasonJAY CLARK,
Herald Sun
4 January 2018RICHMOND will ramp up its premiership defence with a near fully-fit list when players resume training on Monday.
Players across the league face a series of rigorous running and skinfold tests as part of routine new year fitness assessments early next week.
The Tigers are confident their playing list will remain hungry and avoid the complacency issues which dogged the Western Bulldogs in 2017.
And in an added bonus for Richmond, the only players working their way back from serious injury issues are livewire Daniel Rioli (foot) and speedster Nathan Drummond (ACL reconstruction).
The Tigers’ top pick in last year’s draft, bullocking small forward Jack Higgins, looms as a ready-made replacement for Rioli if he remains sidelined for the early rounds.
The strong-bodied Higgins, 18, has impressed at training since he was taken with pick No. 17 in November’s draft.
But he faces stiff competition from the Tigers’ premiership mosquito fleet including Dan Butler, Jason Castagna, Jacob Townsend and Shai Bolton, who are all gunning for a Round 1 berth.
In other good news, key stuff Ben Griffiths is also in line to resume full training next week after another nightmare season plagued by ongoing concussion issues and a shoulder injury. He played only two senior games last season and 28 in total over the past three years.
Griffiths, 26, trained before Christmas and could tempt coach Damien Hardwick into playing a taller forward line next season alongside spearhead Jack Riewoldt.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/teams/richmond/daniel-rioli-under-round-1-doubt-as-fit-and-hungry-tigers-prepare-to-launch-backtobackflag-tilt/news-story/e3bac90b06b96352c15f04a4c13724b7
