Richmond has confirmed captain Trent Cotchin a certain starter for this Friday night’s Round 23 clash with North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium.
Cotchin missed last Saturday night’s 27-point win against Essendon with back soreness. It was the first time he had been sidelined since Round 7, 2013.
The Tigers are assured of a spot in the finals, with the possibility of a home final resting on the outcome of the last home-and-away game of the season against the Kangaroos.
“I think I’ll be 100 percent for next week,” Cotchin said.
“It’s just one of those ones, where for a couple of weeks I’ve been carrying a bit of soreness through there.
“It’s more the contest stuff. Being an inside midfielder, it can tend to take its toll, and I thought my output wasn’t quite up to the standard.”
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick revealed the Tigers’ match committee erred on the side of caution when picking the side for last week’s match.
"He's been a little bit sore, obviously, and he's been battered around for the last couple of weeks,” Hardwick said.
“To push it, he probably could (have played), but the fact of the matter is he's too valuable a player to put in that situation.
"We were quite happy to leave him out of the side this week and get him back for next week."
Meanwhile, Richmond has not ruled out midfielder Reece Conca making a return this week, with the 23-year-old in the final stages of recovery from a hamstring injury.
Conca’s season has largely been interrupted by injuries. He played back-to-back games in Round 18 and 19, before missing the past three weeks.
Young midfielder Corey Ellis is at least a fortnight away from returning, as he recovers from a foot injury.
