Richmond will be aim to be patient and take a careful approach with injured ruckman Ivan Soldo.
The 2019 premiership big man missed this season’s flag after he ruptured both his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial ligament in the round 17 win over Geelong.
Soldo underwent surgery to address the injury but will not begin running for some time and is unlikely to be back on the field for the Tigers until late next season.
The club’s Physical Performance Manager, Peter Burge, says it will be a slow and steady pathway for the 24-year-old.
“He is in a deep rehab program (with) strength training and balance training,” Burge said.
“He is a little while away from starting any kind of running given it happened so late in the season.
“He is probably not looking at football until very late in the season at best, with these big guys we have got to take a very cautious approach. He is so diligent in what he does, he is in here now doing hours of rehab and special exercises.
“He is so dedicated, so we know one thing, we are going to get a really good result with him because he will do everything he can to give himself the best chance to come back and play this year.”
Another key Tiger who has undergone surgery in the off-season is three-time premiership player Kane Lambert, who had a hip clean up, and is already back in action.
“Had some hip surgery at the end of the season, only recently, and has returned to running already the last three to four weeks,” Burge added.
“He will probably resume with the main group in January ahead of schedule which is a great result.”
Additionally, youngster Noah Cumberland, who ruptured his ACL at training in May, is in the “mid to late stages of the rehab program” and is “progressing really well”.
While Bigoa Nyuon is back in full training following a shoulder injury and new recruits Maurice Rioli Jnr and Samson Ryan have linked up with the team this week after being drafted last Wednesday.