Foley partially ruptured his Achilles tendon during a training session on July 10, and recently had surgery in a bid to have him ready for the start of 2013 season.
“Nathan returned to the specialist today (Tuesday) and he was really pleased with the progression he’s made,” said Richmond Elite Performance Manager Matt Hornsby.
“The initial phase is about the wound management and minimising the risk of infection, and all of those things have been positive.
“He has started some light activity with his upper body and core strength work, so he’ll continue to focus on that.
“He’s also doing some specific work with the coaches to fill in his time.”
In other injury news from Tigerland, tall defender Ben Griffiths is likely to be available for selection for this Saturday’s match against Brisbane, after missing the last two games with a calf injury.
“He trained really well on Saturday, and trained again today (Tuesday),” Hornsby said.
“He ran at good speed and did all the football work we asked him to do. He’ll train fully on Thursday, and we expect he’ll be available.”
First-year defender Steven Morris will also be available to play this weekend after leaving the field with a shoulder complaint during last Saturday night’s loss to Carlton.
Fellow backman Jake Batchelor will miss another week with knee bruising, and will be assessed before the Round 20 match against the Western Bulldogs.
