Tylar Young fourth Richmond player to suffer ACL injury, how does this impact the mid-season draft?

A young Tiger became the fourth at the club to suffer an ACL injury this season on Saturday, but Richmond’s plans at the mid-season draft appear to be set despite the crisis.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MAY 25: Dustin Martin of the Tigers and his Tigers team mates look dejected after losing the round 11 AFL match between Richmond Tigers and Essendon Bombers at Melbourne Cricket Ground, on May 25, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Richmond will take a maximum of two picks in Wednesday’s mid-season draft despite an injury crisis that has seen it lose four players including Tylar Young to ACL reconstructions this season.

Young went down early in the VFL clash on Saturday after being sent back to the state league to gain confidence in his marking and joins Judson Clarke, Sam Naismith and Josh Gibcus in tearing his ACL in the past 11 weeks.

Richmond also has Mate Colina and Liam Fawcett with long-term back issues so could take four or more selections in the draft if it believed the pool was deep enough.

Young is the latest Tiger to go down. (Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

Instead with the No. 2 overall pick it can consider Tasmanian 18-year-old Geordie Payne after he moved from defence to the midfield or 197cm West Perth key forward Jasper Scaife.

The Roos have the No. 1 pick but Richmond’s ladder position gives them the No. 2 selection yet not the inclination to stock up in a relatively shallow mid-season draft pool.

Richmond will get back Jack Graham (hamstring) against Geelong but lose star mid-forward Shai Bolton to concussion protocols.

It is another setback for a club which has an injury toll approaching 20 players, with Jacob Koschitzke sent back into defence with excellent results on Saturday in the VFL.

It means Yze will have to continue to reinvent his backline as well as a front six that played with Mykelti Lefau as the only genuine tall against Essendon.

Despite a spirited effort in the Dreamtime game, Yze’s Tigers are battling. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

“Jack Graham will be available next week, which will be handy,” Yze said.

“Jacob Hopper and Tim Taranto are 2-3 weeks away and Lynchy (Tom Lynch) is running which is a good thing and he’s started training so he might be 2-3 weeks.

“We might get some troops back next week but we will go down to Geelong and expect to win the game.

“(List boss) Blair Hartley will go through that (mid-season draft) process, we might take one or two players, we can take more but we will stick to one or two then more at the end of the season.”

Young’s ACL tear gives the club less chance to swing Noah Balta back into attack after he was shifted into defence against Essendon.

“He is a terrific kid, he works so hard on his game,” Yze said of Young.

“I just wanted him to go down and get some confidence and go for his marks. To see him do it early in the game, we will wrap our arms around him. We have three or four guys who are going through that but he will be back.”

Originally published as Tylar Young fourth Richmond player to suffer ACL injury, how does this impact the mid-season draft?