Richmond stars Brett Deledio, Alex Rance will return from injury against GeelongHerald-Sun
May 01, 2014 1:27PMBRETT Deledio and Alex Rance will return from injury for Sunday’s crunch clash against Geelong at the MCG.
Coach Damien Hardwick said after last week’s loss to Hawthorn that his side was suffering in the absence of the likes of Deledio, Rance and ruckman Ivan Maric.
Now he gets two of those back for a game in which a loss will leave his side 2-5 heading in to next week’s bye.
“It’s great for us to get (them) back,” Hardwick said.
“They’ve both got to get through training, but they’re both available to play at this stage which is exciting for us.”
Deledio has been missing since Round 3 because of an Achilles injury.
Rance last played in Round 1 before falling off his bike and fracturing his foot.
Hardwick said both players would help with Richmond’s run and carry out of defence, an area in which the club has been struggling this season.
“Meters gained is a big stat within the AFL and those two are very high up in that area,” he said.
“It’s something you’ve probably noticed in our games that we’ve been lacking from a run point of view.
“They’re both important players, we’re very happy to have them back.”
Geelong coach Chris Scott says star forward Tom Hawkins will be fine to take on Richmond on Sunday; despite the Cats losing 40 points on Sunday the coach has stuck by his side's game plan.
Hardwick said forward Tyrone Vickery, banished to the VFL before the Easter Thursday trip to Brisbane, is a chance to be named.
The coach also hinted that first-round draft pick Ben Lennon would be named in tonight’s extended squad, but that a decision on whether or not he will play is yet to be made.
http://www.news.com.au/sport/afl/richmond-stars-brett-deledio-alex-rance-will-return-from-injury-against-geelong/story-fndv8t7m-1226902138949