Richmond star Brett Deledio won't play against Melbourne this Friday night, and will most likely miss the Tigers’ Round 5 match against Geelong as well.

Deledio has been battling a calf injury since the Tigers' opening round victory over Carlton, a game which led to his one-match suspension for a hit on Simon White.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick revealed at his Thursday press conference that Deledio would be watching on Friday night from the stands, and he wasn’t confident of the dual Jack Dyer Medallist’s chances of being available for the Tigers' Round 5 clash with Geelong.

“He will not be playing this week and he’s probably unlikely next week also,” Hardwick said.

“It’s been a bit of a painful process for us . . . It’s just one of those things that’s taking a little time to heal, which is unfortunate, as he’s obviously an important player for us.

“The thing now is not so much the injury as such, but he has missed a lot of footy and we’ve got to make sure he can handle the training because the game is as intense now as it has been for a period of time.”

Hardwick said Deledio’s spirits hadn't dropped despite the prospect of missing a month of football.

"The good thing about Brett is he's probably flat on the inside [but] you wouldn't know on the outside," he said.

"He's got a bit of FOMO disease – fear of missing out.

"He was texting the players constantly on the weekend, finding out what's going on, which just shows his love of the game, his love of the Club.”