Key position scramble for Tigers as injuries begin to biteSarah Black
womens.afl
FEB 3. 2022RICHMOND'S key position stocks have been exposed by injuries to just three players.
Full-back Harriet Cordner has been ruled out for the season after tearing her ACL, full-forward Courtney Wakefield's shoulder injury has now been classified as "long-term", while ruck Poppy Kelly is on the comeback trail from a knee injury.
The ruck situation is the least dire, with Gabby Seymour slotting back into her former No.1 role, but Wakefield's absence has meant skipper Katie Brennan (174cm) has been forced to take ball-ups when Seymour is resting.
That has a knock-on effect for the forward line, leaving 18-year-old Stella Reid (who stands at 173cm) as the sole tall target alongside mid-sized goalkicker Christina Bernardi.
The club has said the best-case scenario for Wakefield's return is in the final rounds of the season.
Last year, the 34-year-old booted 10 goals for the season, or 23 per cent of the Tigers' complete tally.
Sarah D'Arcy, who played as a forward at Collingwood but has been a defender in Richmond colours, started in attack in round three as a replacement for the 180cm Wakefield.
But it lasted less than a half before Harriet Cordner injured her knee, forcing the 172cm D'Arcy back into defence.
Against Gold Coast, D'Arcy was outmuscled by Tara Bohanna, with Bec Miller swapping from Sarah Perkins to the in-form full-forward in the second half.
There aren't many options to come into the side, either.
Who's in the wings?- Ingrid Houtsma, 176cm, 18 years old, defender/winger
- Meg Macdonald, 172cm, 23 years old, defender
- Akec Makur Chuot, 178cm, 29 years old, defender
Makur Chuot missed the first two rounds with COVID-19, but has not played since being available for selection.
Richmond face the Western Bulldogs this weekend, who without Izzy Huntington (ACL), currently field two recognised key forwards in Bonnie Toogood and Nell Morris-Dalton.
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