Richmond ruckman Ivan Maric will miss the start of the 2014 season after undergoing surgery on an injured ankle today.

Maric is expected to miss the next 6-8 weeks after having bone spurs removed, with surgery the preferred option for the Club’s medical staff.

“It’s good to get that done now, and start moving into his rehab phase, and hopefully get him back on track soon,” said Richmond’s Elite Performance Manager, Peter Burge.

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“He’s been able to train with it in the last couple of weeks, but he hasn’t been 100 per cent comfortable.

“It was a decision we had to make – does he play with it the whole year, or do we just get it done now and get him right?  That’s the decision we made with Ivan, and we’re happy with that.”

Tigers’ youngster Ben Lennon also had surgery today, with a minor knee operation to keep him off the park for the next three or four weeks.

“Ben had a bit of pain in his knee, and we discovered a bit of cartilage that had to be removed,” Burge said.

“It’s not a big operation, but it gives him a bit of a mental break, and then we can get him back and get him going again.

In positive news for the Club, Jack Riewoldt is set to take his place in the Richmond team for its final pre-season hitout, against Essendon at the ME Bank Centre on Friday, March 7, after recovering from quad tightness.

“We’ve taken a really safe approach with Jack.  We’d be expecting him to play next week against Essendon,” Burge said.

“He just needs a good two weeks of training with the group and he’ll be ready to go.”

Dylan Grimes (hamstring) and Daniel Jackson (groin) have also recovered from their injuries, and are scheduled to play a portion of Richmond’s VFL practice match this Friday afternoon.

A reminder to Tiger fans that the VFL practice match is closed to the public, due to ongoing construction works at the ME Bank Centre.