Richmond Tigers: Josh Caddy, Jake Aarts pushing for Round 1 selection
Two forwards who were left out of Richmond’s premiership side last season are making their case for a Round 1 start. So who else is in the mix.
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Richmond Grand Final emergencies Jake Aarts and Josh Caddy are in pole position as the Tigers consider as few as two changes to last year’s premiership side.
The Tigers’ extraordinary durability during their premiership dynasty has continued this year, with only Bachar Houli ruled out of the Round 1 side from the 2020 flag team.
The Tigers will unfurl two premiership flags before 50,000 fans, with their 2018 flag-raising ceremony a simple occasion with 11 special members representing the club’s 11 flags before a speech from president Peggy O’Neal.
Richmond is adamant Dion Prestia (hamstring) will train and play this week, with Ivan Soldo (knee) and Noah Cumberland (knee) the only other players on the official injury list.
Tom Lynch will return after missing the Pies clash when he landed awkwardly on his toe in the pre-season clash against Melbourne.
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Marlion Pickett played in the VFL practice match at 5pm on Friday after being trialled in defence over summer.
He also played in the Tigers’ AAMI Series clash against Collingwood, but can’t be considered a certain starter for Round 1.
Aarts was desperately unlucky to miss the Grand Final side after playing 14 games from Round 5 to the qualifying final before making way.
Caddy played only eight games for the year but was one of the club’s best in last week’s win over Collingwood, with 27 disposals, 23 kicks and 11 marks.
He will push hard to be in the Round 1 side, with Aarts also busy with 15 possessions and six marks against the Pies.
Oleg Markov and Jack Higgins have moved on from the 2020 list but were not in the premiership side.
Fellow Grand Final emergency Mabior Chol played in the 26-man side against the Pies, along with Will Martin, Riley Collier-Dawkins, Callum Coleman-Jones and Derek Eggmollesse-Smith.
Coleman-Jones is ineligible until Round 5 given a COVID-related AFL suspension, while Eggmollesse-Smith is a halfback in the mould of Houli who last week won back his spot on the club’s list as a rookie.
Martin played only 21 per cent game time, Collier-Dawkins 39 per cent and Eggmollesse-Smith 31 per cent, which would suggest they would make way when the side is pruned to 22.
RICHMOND TO HELP STACK AS RETURN TO CLUB NEARS
Richmond is hopeful Sydney Stack could be back at Punt Road within weeks as it absorbs the damage of his $100,000 fine within the club’s football department cap.
Stack is in a much better place than when he was released from prison for a West Australian COVID breach as he awaits a March 25 court date for that offence.
The talented indigenous player is living with his auntie in Northam and attempting to rededicate himself to his AFL career.
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He is not only getting a high level of support from Richmond on a fitness program, he is also accessing the type of counselling and welfare he needs to work on his issues away from football.
Stack was rocked by a family bereavement pre-Christmas and then returned home to West Australia where he committed a second COVID breach after his initial Queensland AFL infraction.
But when he was bailed after serving three weeks in jail the Supreme Court judge suggested he was unlikely to serve more jail time even if given a conviction.
The Tigers are desperate to get him back among their support structures, with Stack able to play practice games and VFL despite his AFL ban that runs until Round 5.
The Tigers and Stack’s management are determined to respect the court process but there is a hope with borders to soon be opened up he could be back in Melbourne soon after that court case.
During the dramatic aftermath of Stack and Callum Coleman-Jones’ being booted from Queensland for a kebab-shop fight, a Richmond board member is heard on Amazon’s Making Their Mark documentary saying: “Someone is going to lose their job because of this abject stupidity”.
The pair were ultimately suspended for 10 AFL games, with Richmond’s second offence resulting in the full $100,000 fine.
The club was unable to convince the AFL to reconsider the $100,000 fine being fully inside the $6.2 million football department cap.
But football bosses Tim Livingstone and Blair Hartley have been able to retain five full-time assistants to Damien Hardwick and have attempted to shave costs from various departments after making an extremely conservative budget estimate mid-2020.
For instance players might be forced to have one less massage with massage therapists per week as an example of cost savings rather than the club have to move on a member of the football department.
Richmond’s VFL players took part in a scratch match with Essendon on Friday afternoon, with Dion Prestia and Tom Lynch confirmed starters for Round 1 next Thursday.
Prestia has overcome a minor hamstring injury while Lynch was rested from the AAMI series game after landing awkwardly on his toe in the clash with Geelong.
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Originally published as Richmond Tigers: Josh Caddy, Jake Aarts pushing for Round 1 selection
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