AFL 2025: Richmond tweaks training to strike perfect fitness balance

Richmond has implemented a plan to eliminate running out of gas at the end of games without running the risk of further soft-tissue injuries.

Richmond has set “a really clear plan” to strike the balance between preventing injuries and improving fitness in the back end of games.

GWS ran over the top of the Tigers last week, kicking five unanswered goals in the final term to win by three points.

It was Richmond’s second loss by less than a kick in three matches after losing narrowly to North Melbourne in May.

With such a young list, an acceleration of match fitness runs the risk of injuring the young players unconditioned to AFL loads.

But Richmond coach Adem Yze said the Tigers and high performance manager Ben Serpell had implemented structures to boost fitness with less risk.

“Ben Serpell has set around whether they have a lighter week, I think Jonty Faull is having a lighter week this week and that was planned,” he said.

Richmond coach Adem Yze is striking a balance between management and improving fitness. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

“We’ve set a really clear plan on their training loads throughout the year, obviously Josh (Smillie) and Sammy Lalor are having a break now because of injury.

“But if it does come to a point where they’ve played four, five, six games in a row, they will have a lighter week.

“We don’t want them to be missing games, but we will just manage their program. It will just take time.

“Our big boys are playing on some quality defenders and they will be for the rest of the year. It’s going to be hard to be consistent across four quarters, but that’s what we’re trying to fast-track.”

Yze said there were no glaring trends from the second close loss, aside from failing to run out the entirety of the match.

He took confidence out of the statistics that indicated a much closer contest in the last then the scoreboard suggested.

“Like I said post game, I would be worried if we just got smashed in clearance or inside 50s or couldn’t get it out of our back end,” he said.

Tom Lynch is disappointed after Richmond’s tight loss. Picture: Jason McCawley/Getty Images

“On the weekend I think the last quarter was 15 inside 50s to 13. We had some opportunities, we just got a bit tired.

“A couple of younger boys we’ve noticed late in games are playing on really good defenders, like Sam Taylor’s last quarter was enormous.

“We’ll look at that, we’ll help our younger boys through that, but it’s going to take time.

“We’re striving to play four-quarter footy. On the weekend we played 3½ and it wasn’t good enough.”

Originally published as AFL 2025: Richmond tweaks training to strike perfect fitness balance