Richmond coach Adem Yze says he expects the best from underdone Fremantle ruckman Sean DarcyMitchell Woodcock
The West Australian
Sat, 12 April 2025 Richmond coach Adem Yze is expecting the best of Sean Darcy despite the Fremantle ruckman heading into their Gather Round clash with barely any football under his belt this year.
The Dockers called up Darcy for his first game of 2025, having played only one WAFL game in preparation after knee and ankle injuries hindered his summer.
It comes after Justin Longmuir’s side lost star Luke Jackson for at least the next fortnight because of a hamstring injury he sustained in the win over the Western Bulldogs at the weekend.
Darcy will open his season with a tough task of taking on big Tiger Toby Nankervis, who is in form and was arguably best-on-ground in their season opening win over Carlton.
Yze said there would be no added pressure on Nankervis to perform despite Darcy’s limited preparation as they do battle in the Barossa Valley on Sunday.
“We normally put it on Nank every week to run their ruck ragged but he (Darcy) is a very good player,” he said.
“They wouldn’t be risking their players if they weren’t ready to play so we’re expecting the best of Sean Darcy.
“We just hope the sun is nice and hot tomorrow and we can test their whole team really. They’re quality players that they’ve got in and Nank’s in really good form and it’ll be a great contest.”
Richmond’s young midfield will come up against a powerful outfit in Fremantle who are being well led by an in-form Caleb Serong.
Serong is coming off a season-high 15 clearances and 38 disposals against the Bulldogs to put himself in the frame for the Brownlow Medal.
Yze said he was not only weary of Serong but also Andrew Brayshaw and Hayden Young who would play his first game of the year.
“They’ve got Hayden Young, he dominated against us last year so it’s hard when you try to stop one of them a couple of the others will pop up,” he said.
“We’ll have all those discussions during the game. Whether we start with a tag or we go during the game, but at some stage one of them has got to get some attention.
“They’re great players and we cannot wait.”
The Tigers will also have to contend against a tall Dockers forward line with Jye Amiss, Josh Treacy and Pat Voss all in the line-up.
“We like the height of our forward line. Luke Trainor can play small or tall, Nick Vlastuin can play small and tall and so can Nathan Broad,” he said.
“Brisbane have got a pretty tall forward line and we thought our boys handled themselves really well so we’re not going to change.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/richmond-tigers/richmond-coach-adem-yze-says-he-expects-the-best-from-underdone-fremantle-ruckman-sean-darcy-c-18348110
