Richmond could welcome back premiership duo Dion Prestia and David Astbury for a blockbuster AFL clash with Sydney that looms as a potential grand final preview.
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick has confirmed Prestia (calf) and Astbury (ankle) are available for selection in Thursday night’s match at Etihad Stadium.
Rebounding defender Bachar Houli remains at least a week away as he continues to recover from a groin injury that has sidelined him for the past month.
The Tigers and Swans sit first and second on the ladder respectively with Sydney in the midst of a six-game winning streak.
Both teams are coming off the mid-year bye with Richmond in the unusual position of having to play a home game away from the familiar confines of the MCG where they hold a 16-game winning streak dating back more than a year.
Hardwick is confident that won’t be an issue for his team and says there’s no danger of them coming out flat after the bye.
“We’ve encountered this a fair bit with longer breaks anyway,” he told reporters on Tuesday.
“We played the last game of the round two weeks ago and we’ve got the first game this week so it’s only been about a 10-day break, which we’ve encountered before this season.
“We’ve got a really good program in place to put into effect and make sure we come out and play some good footy first up.”
With five of their remaining nine games to be played at the MCG, the Tigers are sitting pretty in their quest for back-to-back premierships.
Prestia’s imminent return should bolster a Richmond engine room which has occasionally lacked its usual ferocity around the ball.
Key defender Astbury will likely be called upon to help contain Sydney spearhead Lance Franklin, although Hardwick is well aware that a match-up with Alex Rance would be the more popular option.
“The old ‘Rance Franklin’ … we always get a laugh out of it at match committee,” Hardwick joked.
“They will (match-up) at stages, there’s no doubt. Alex plays fullback, (Franklin) probably plays a traditional full-forward role. So we’re going to see that at various stages but Alex will play on whoever’s down there.
“They’re two great players, aren’t they, so it’s worth the price of admission to see those guys.”