RICHMOND coach Ryan Ferguson has said that the availability of star midfielder Ellie McKenzie will be a "week-by-week proposition" after his side fell to Adelaide on Friday night.

McKenzie, who registered 15 disposals and 325 metres gained in the Tigers' win over Brisbane last week, came off the ground with an ankle complaint in the dying minutes of the game, subsequently ruling her out of Friday's clash with the Crows.

"We're hopeful it won't be long," Ferguson said of McKenzie's expected time on the sidelines.

"She'll be a week-by-week proposition essentially, just going to see how (her ankle) continues to settle and how quickly we can get it going again. But it will literally be a week by week proposition, I think."

03:28

AFLW R2: Ferguson post-match

Ryan Ferguson speaks to the media following the Round 2 match against Adelaide.

Richmond missed McKenzie in the contest against the Crows, with Monique Conti shouldering most of the load. Conti, with a game-high 29 disposals, won more than a third of the Tigers' clearances, while the next most in the yellow and black had three.

01:39

'There's a lot more footy to go' - Conti

Monique Conti speak with Richmond Media following the Round 2 loss against Adelaide.

"We missed Ellie a little bit today for sure," Ferguson said.

"So, just to make sure we've got some more dynamic players in there, it's more the balance than anything. We'll play around with what that looks like if Ellie's in the team, if she's out of the team, how can we make sure we balance up in the midfield."