Richmond will be without Noah Balta and potentially Jack Graham for Saturday night’s Dreamtime return to the MCG.
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick confirmed Balta (hamstring) would miss this weekend’s clash with Essendon and not return after the club’s round 12 bye in early June.
Balta’s absence is set to open the door for Robbie Tarrant to reclaim his spot, with Hardwick hinting they may give Josh Gibcus (Covid) an extra week to recover despite him exiting health and safety protocols on Wednesday.
Graham (ankle) has shown improvement in recent days but Richmond may also err on the side of caution with him, too, given the short turnaround to its round 11 game against Sydney.
“He’s probably 50-50 at this stage,” Hardwick said of Graham.
He’s moved ahead the last two days. We probably thought he was less likely than more likely, but the last couple of days have been promising.
“But he’s an important player, then we’ve got a six-day break when we move on to Sydney, so it’ll be touch and go.”
But the Tigers will select both Riolis, Daniel and Maurice, in the annual Dreamtime spectacle, which Hardwick described as “exciting”.
“I think anytime you hear the Rioli name, you just get a little bit of a warm glow inside,” he said.
“To see how proud Daniel is of his uncle, in Maurice, is outstanding. Those two just bounce off each other and the Indigenous boys overall have got a real pep in their step this week, as they should.
“It’s a significant event that we’re incredibly privileged to play in, in front of such a huge crowd as well.
“It’s one of the best weeks on the calendar, from our point of view, and we hope it continues to build and grow and we continue to bring Indigenous players to our game.”
https://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-coach-damien-hardwick-rules-out-defender-noah-balta-for-dreamtime-at-the-g-clash-with-essendon/news-story/7154fcaa51b95b4c9d0bef660e3944bf
