Richmond coach Adem Yze said he could not doubt his team's effort in Saturday night's 51-loss loss against Fremantle at Optus Stadium, but the Dockers' polish proved too much to overcome. 

"Our execution wasn't at the level tonight, or as good as theirs was," Yze said post-match.

"Their polish forward of the ball was a lot better than ours was, (we had) missed opportunities."

Captain Nankervis was highlighted by the first-year coach with his team post-game after a tireless performance in the ruck against Darcy in the first half and then Luke Jackson, winning 11 clearances for his team. 

"He's our captain for a reason. He puts the team on his shoulders and they follow," Yze said. 

"He's done that for the majority of the year, really. But his last month, while we're going through a fair bit of adversity, [he] really is the most competitive guy in our locker room.

"We couldn't ask any more against two really strong ruckmen. I know Darcy went out of the game in the second half, but we're really proud of the captain's effort."

Yze said the Tigers would consider playing Graham in run-with roles through the latter stages of the season after he limited Serong's effectiveness through the first half. 

Brownlow medallist Dustin Martin has not been ruled out of next Sunday's clash against Greater Western Sydney with a back injury, but his availability will depend on how he is feeling early in the week. 

"We've got an eight-day break now, so we'll just be based on his body and if he walks in on Monday or Tuesday and feels like he can train. That's how we have to manage him."