Adelaide coach Don Pyke knows how Richmond feel as they plunge further into a deep injury hole ahead of the Thursday night AFL clash between the clubs.
The Tigers have lost captain Trent Cotchin and his likely leadership replacement Shane Edwards reportedly didn’t catch the flight to Adelaide with his teammates.
Despite being in seventh spot on the ladder with seven wins – the same amount as fifth-placed Adelaide – Richmond’s season is lurching toward breaking point with 16 players on the injured list.
Last season, Pyke’s Crows were hounded by a spate of injuries to key players – and they ultimately missed the finals.
But Pyke’s playing squad is now remarkably healthy, with just two players unavailable for Thursday night – Tom Lynch (calf) and Tom Doedee (knee).
He says even a five-day break between their win against GWS last Saturday night and taking on the Tigers hasn’t put a dent in Adelaide’s fitness.
“The focus this week has been about recovery … pleasingly, the guys who played last week all pulled up really well so I don’t anticipate too many changes,” Pyke said.
Despite Richmond’s depleted line-up, Pyke described the Tigers – who thumped the Crows in the 2017 grand final – as a “another fantastic test”.
“We sit seven (wins) and five (losses), they’re at seven and five … we understand the quality of the opposition,” he said.
Pyke’s co-captain Taylor Walker looms large in the Adelaide Oval fixture, with a host of tall Tigers backmen out injured.
Richmond’s six-game novice Ryan Garthwaite could land the job of stopping Walker, who was pivotal in Adelaide’s last-term blitz which led to victory against the Giants last start.
“That last quarter was the sort of thing we know he’s capable of doing … it’s just about doing that for longer,” Pyke said of Walker.
“I have got great confidence and faith in him, the way he’s moving now and the way he’s presenting at the ball.
“He’s not far away from breaking a big game open, I think.
“When he’s up and presenting and jumping at the ball as he was in that last quarter … that is what makes him a great player and a fantastic leader for the footy club.”
