Premiers exposed without Toby Nankervis

Richmond’s bid for back-to-back premierships could be exposed should Toby Nankervis fail to play in Perth.

Toby Nankervis during training at Punt Road yesterday. Picture: AAP.

A potential achilles heel in Richmond’s bid for back-to-back premierships could be exposed tomorrow should Toby Nankervis fail to play in Perth.

The ruckman trained at Punt Road yesterday but is struggling with a wrist injury, with coach Damien Hardwick saying he is no certainty to tackle West Coast.

This would be a significant blow for the Tigers in the top-of-the-table clash, as the Eagles possess arguably the AFL’s best ruck combination in Nic Naitanui and Scott Lycett.

And while high-profile performers Dustin Martin, Trent Cotchin, Alex Rance and Jack Riewoldt have been brilliant in Richmond’s rise to the top, there is a strong and potentially unhealthy reliance on Nankervis.

The former Swan is not the best tap ruckman in the league but he does excel when it comes to assisting the Tigers’ defence.

His presence a kick behind play assists Richmond’s ability to drive the ball back into attack, while his agility allows him to get to contests and also provide pressure at ground level.

The Tigers stormed to success with “Nank the Tank” forming an unconventional partnership with Shaun Grigg, a tall midfielder who plays above his size to allow Nankervis a rest.

Grigg trained well yesterday and will travel as an emergency, but it is not yet certain he will play as he recovers from a hamstring strain. Ivan Soldo, who played seven games last year, has been named as an emergency. Should he break his drought this year, it will be in the most formidable of circumstances; a high-stakes game against an outstanding ruck combination.

Hardwick, though, is pleased with Soldo’s progression.

“Have you seen Soldo play in the VFL? He’s pretty good,” Hardwick said. “We’re really pleased with his progression as a player and he’s 205cm, he’s a big boy and he covers the ground really well, so we’re really excited about what he has to offer.

“He’s ready to play AFL footy, there’s no doubt about that. We’ve just got the added problem that we’ve got one of the best rucks in Toby Nankervis. Look, if Toby doesn’t play we’re more than happy to take Soldo over there because he’ll give them a good run for their money.”

The Richmond coach is hopeful Martin, the reigning Brownlow medallist, receives more support at Optus Stadium tomorrow than he did when he was stopped by Kangaroo Ben Jacobs last week.

And it is the umpires, not Martin’s teammates, Hardwick was sending a message to.

“It’s not often we see Dustin getting beaten and he took that on board and (Ben) Jacobs did a great job, but we probably thought he could’ve got a little bit more protection from the umpires at various stages,” Hardwick said.

“Ben Jacobs did a terrific job last week but we expect Dustin to bounce back.”

West Coast coach Adam Simpson said the Eagles could not afford to be too focused on Martin.

“We’re really mindful that Richmond are a collective so knocking off one player doesn’t guarantee results,” Simpson said.

The Eagles are strengthened by the return of Naitanui from suspension, while Jeremy McGovern is back from injury.

Lewis Jetta and Dom Sheed have also returned from injury.

Simpson described as laughable suggestions the match shapes as a pointer to a potential grand final.

“That’s absolutely ridiculous to talk about grand finals in round nine,” Simpson said.