Richmond's reinforcements have finally arrived, with six returning players – David Astbury (hamstring), Shane Edwards (hamstring tendonitis), Trent Cotchin (general soreness), Kane Lambert (Achilles), Jayden Short (elbow) and Ivan Soldo (illness) – all named in the squad of 26 to take on St Kilda on Sunday.
But after three straight losses, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick cautioned fans expecting an immediate bounce back to form.
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"The fact we've had four players play every game together, the connection of sides – you look at the sides who are at the very, very top, the way they've had a great connection and a lot of their players have played together for a sustained period," he said.
"We probably haven't had that, we've been filling gaps along the way. The guys have hung tough for the vast majority, but it probably came to a tipping point in the last couple of weeks.
"Once again, those guys that are available for selection and coming back, they're not going to solve the problem straight away. We've got to play them playing in unison, get them a good understanding of patterns and movement and continue to play well from that.
"It's all good to have names back, but the reality is on-field we need to make sure we connect heavily."
Hardwick backed half-back flanker Short to hit the ground running, despite having not played at either VFL or AFL level since dislocating his elbow in round three.
"Once again, he's been training for a sustained period of time now and his fitness is good," Hardwick said.
"We had some match practice earlier this week and on Sunday, I think it was, as well, and he was a standout for us. He'll certainly put his hand up to play."
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Young livewire Jack Higgins set the AFL world alight with his exuberance in his debut 2018 season, and Hardwick says he needs to bring the fun back to his game.
Higgins has been dropped after 28 straight games dating back to round nine last year after struggling in an injury-depleted side in recent weeks.
The 20-year-old has averaged 13 touches and has not kicked a goal over his past three games.
"He's probably the first to say he hasn't been at his best form. He's probably a little bit reflective of our side, he hasn't had the benefit of the connection of play we normally have," Hardwick said.
"He was probably a little bit fumbly last week, but Jack knows how important he is to our side. If we want to get to where we need to go, he certainly needs to be a part of that.
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"He'll go back and [has] got to learn how to enjoy his footy a little bit when he goes back, not put so much pressure on himself. I think he's such a guy that wants to achieve such great heights, I think sometimes he can become his own worst enemy.
"If Richmond's playing its best footy, Jack Higgins is certainly part of our side. I'm looking forward to watching him play and seeing him back in the seniors very soon."
