Yze 'rapt' with effortBy Josh Gabelich
afl.com.au
17 July 2025Richmond star Tim Taranto was a last-minute withdrawal after failing a fitness test during the warm-up.
The 2023 Jack Dyer Medal winner didn’t train on Thursday at Punt Road due to calf soreness, but completed the captain’s run before a decision was made 30 minutes ahead of the first bounce on Sunday.
Tigers coach Adem Yze was positive with the performance in his post-match press conference, especially after losing the club’s best player in 2025 so close to the game.
"He got through yesterday, so he got through the captain's run, but there was obviously still a risk of getting through the warm-up and really testing it. Our fitness staff really wanted him to hit high speed today and he just felt a bit of awareness today," Yze explained.
"To his credit, he wanted to play, but we've still got a month of footy and he is too important to us to send him out there and make the injury worse.
"Hopefully by doing what we did today, he shouldn't miss anything other than what he did today.
"Obviously a tough one, we find out 'Pendles is out' – one of their most important players – but then ten minutes later we find out our best player and a guy that's in career best form is a late out as well.
"I was rapt with the way the boys responded and didn’t let it affect our first quarter."
“There was a lot that we liked. Understanding the opponent and where they sit and the talent they’ve got, we understood the game that we were going to be in.
“I felt like compared to previous weeks when we did play against the teams that are at the top end, it wasn’t as bad as what it’s been, so that’s a positive. Our response was a positive, our second half, we kept fighting and didn’t let the scoreboard dictate our effort and intent.”
https://www.afl.com.au/news/1375634/time-will-tell-mcrae-tells-of-pies-balancing-act-yze-rapt-with-efforthttps://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/1844374/yze-explains-taranto-withdrawal
