Richmond finally have Jack Riewoldt back from injury, and if he could just stay inside the attacking 50 long enough to get to know Tom Lynch a bit better that would be just fine with Damien Hardwick.
The potent one-two punch the Tigers envisioned when they made their high-profile swoop for Lynch in the off-season hasn’t become a reality yet, with the pair playing together on just three occasions.
Riewoldt will make his highly-anticipated return against GWS at the MCG on Sunday after suffering a posterior cruciate ligament injury in round six, which was his first game back after three matches out with a broken wrist.
Hardwick joked that Riewoldt’s absence has been just as frustrating for him as it has been for his star forward when he spoke to reporters on Friday.
But with his team well-placed in sixth with a 9-6 record and Riewoldt primed to work on his chemistry with Lynch, the planets are aligning for Richmond’s push for a top-four finish.
“Having (Jack) back in the side just makes us better, not only from him personally, but he makes those around him better as well,” Hardwick said.
“I think we’ll start to see with Jack coming into his own that he’ll make Tom a better player as well because he doesn’t have to play on three defenders … we’ve got another focal point up forward that will help in that area.
“It will be a little bit of a slow burn with the amount of footy he’s missed, but we think it’s going to be a pretty good period for us going forward … we’ve just got to hope that they can click as soon as possible.
“They’re both very smart players so we think it will be quicker than what it would be with an inexperienced player.”
The Tigers suffered one of their worst losses of the season in round three when the Giants belted them by 49 points, Jeremy Cameron kicking seven goals and master tagger Matt de Boer driving Dustin Martin to distraction.
“I think it will be a little bit harder for Jeremy this time,” Hardwick said, with the Tigers having regained key defensive personnel and improved across the board since the Giants Stadium clash.
De Boer won’t be present to get under Martin’s skin either, as he continues to recover from a serious shoulder injury, but Hardwick doesn’t expect his superstar onballer to get a free run.
“Good players always get some sort of attention … Dustin is used to it,” he said.
“Dustin’s worked his way through that … every now and then he won’t have a great day.
“I think that’s a progression in Dustin’s game in that he realises he doesn’t have to be ‘the guy’ all the time … he can contribute in other ways and allow other players to step up.
“It’s a good part of his progression as a leader.”