Richmond interim coach Andrew McQualter has dismissed the suggestion premiership stars Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin could have played against the Western Bulldogs on Friday night, saying the pair "weren't ready to play a game of AFL football".
Martin and Cotchin were both left out of the pivotal clash due to soreness and while McQualter said neither player had a specific injury, he was clear they were not rested.
The absence of the legendary Tigers pair and the late out of co-captain Dylan Grimes due to a neck injury meant the Tigers were well short on experience against the Bulldogs, while an ankle injury to Daniel Rioli and concussion suffered by Jacob Hopper during the game further hurt McQualter's side.
McQualter is confident Martin and Cotchin will be available next week, but insisted they were no chance to play on Friday night, with the pair having come off a five-day break from last Sunday's loss to Melbourne.
"We didn't rest anyone this week, just to be really clear," McQualter said after side's 55-point loss.
"There was no one chosen to rest. The players who didn't play were not available to be picked. They weren't ready to play a game of AFL football tonight.
"It's pretty clear we'd have loved Dustin Martin and Trent Cotchin and Dylan Grimes in our team tonight. Unfortunately, they weren't available to play."
Grimes experienced neck pain when he woke up on Friday morning and was withdrawn from the match. McQualter said it was too early to tell if Grimes or Rioli will be fit to play St Kilda next week, although Hopper will miss having entered concussion protocols.
On the field, McQualter conceded his attempts to quell the influence of Marcus Bontempelli on Friday night ultimately failed, saying the Bulldogs skipper "might be the best player in the comp at the moment".
Bontempelli led the Bulldogs in a dominant opening quarter in midfield before switching forward in the third term when the Tigers applied a tag, kicking three goals to extend his side's lead.
McQualter lamented his side's horror opening quarter, particularly around the ball, and heaped praise on Bontempelli.
"The board was flashing red in a fair few areas," he said. "And to be fair, all credit goes to the Doggies. They were absolutely red hot in that first quarter and made us pay for every little mistake we made in the first quarter, and we made a few of them.
"They just smashed us around the ball, their ability to fight our tackles and tackle us and get us on the outside was just far too great. It was overwhelming, we couldn't handle it and the game was over at quarter time.
"I think we had three people try and go to (Bontempelli) throughout the night. We certainly had a crack at it.
"He might be the best player in the comp at the moment, I think. He's a special player and the way he's able to hurt you in different ways is a challenge. We tried quite a few things, but ultimately he was a bit too good for us tonight."
