The injury crisis at Richmond has deepened with three players facing a stint on the sidelines following a bruising encounter with the Western Bulldogs on Saturday night.
Already a horror night on the field with a 91-point defeat, the Tigers' latest injury woes added to the list of sidelined players at the club.
Two-time premiership player Jack Graham (hamstring) was substituted out of the game in the third quarter with yet another soft tissue issue in what was the 26-year-old's first game back since injuring the same hamstring in the Anzac Day Eve game against Melbourne.
Young midfielder Sam Banks was concussed after a scary landing in a marking contest in the third-quarter when Dogs ruckman Tim English accidentally took his legs from underneath him.
Scans have confirmed that Maurice Rioli Jnr suffered a syndesmosis injury in last night’s game, which will likely require surgery.
— Richmond FC 🐯 (@Richmond_FC) May 12, 2024
The Club will provide a further update in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/LcYsTmOfr5
Then in the dying stages of the game, Maurice Rioli jnr hurt his ankle after his left leg got caught and twisted under the weight of an Adam Treloar tackle. He will be sent for scans to determine the extent of the damage.
"It's a bit disappointing with the young lads that have gone out of the game again, so we get tested as a footy club," Tigers coach Adem Yze said.
"(Banks) was concussed so he'll go into protocols, and Jack Graham felt tight in the same hammy he previously injured, so we didn't want to take any risks with that and we'll have to bite the bullet and he'll be out for a week or two.
"Maurice we're hoping just a rolled his ankle, but whenever there's a rolled ankle it could be syndesmosis as well so we'll just wait for the scan on that.
"We've got a few sore boys there."
It wasn't all bad news for the Tigers, with Noah Balta and Dion Prestia making a successful return from their respective injuries.
While the injury toll was clearly a factor for the Tigers, Yze was quick to praise the Bulldogs' effort in the crushing win.
"Our execution and our method was off early," he said.
"In the first half we just couldn't get our game going the way we wanted to and they were very, very good.
"They came with a strong contest, smashed us around clearance and their good players played really well.
"It's really disappointing."
