Richmond faces the prospect of finishing Round 15 outside the top eight after a shock 40-point loss to St Kilda at the MCG on Friday night as footy made its return to Melbourne.
The Tigers kicked just two goals during the game, with their final score of 22 the sixth-lowest club history and lowest in Damien Hardwick’s coaching tenure.
The reigning premiers now sit at 7-7, with their top four hopes fading and the club facing a genuine fight to play finals in 2021.
The heavy defeat was compounded by what appears to be a double injury blow, with defensive duo Noah Balta and Nathan Broad suffering serious setbacks.
Hardwick revealed post-match that Balta has likely ruptured his ACL, while Broad has a suspected syndesmosis injury.
“I don’t like to speculate but it doesn’t look great at this stage which is disappointing for (Noah Balta),” he said post-match.
“It looks (like he’s done an ACL) but once we have that confirmed we’ll pass it on.
“(Nathan Broad) we think may have syndesmosis, which is another one.”
Richmond will take on Gold Coast at Metricon Stadium in Round 16, as they look to bounce back from the surprising defeat.