Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has been left pleasantly stunned by Tom Lynch’s recovery powers, rating the star forward a “probable” chance to play on Sunday against Sydney.
Lynch had surgery on a broken hand on Monday before taking a chartered flight to join his teammates in their Gold Coast quarantine hub.
The 27-year-old has surprised Hardwick by his ability to recover so quickly.
“He did the vast majority (of training) actually,” Hardwick said on Friday.
“He’s gone from a doubtful to a probable to play on Sunday, which is a great result for us.
“The injury occurred in probably the first two minutes of the game (against Melbourne). And to play with no injection, it just shows the strength of the man.
“It will be up to the doctors in regard to the health of the wound. That will be what determines whether he plays or not.”
Hardwick said he will err on the side of caution with skipper Trent Cotchin, who injured his hamstring in the win over the Demons.
“We think he’ll miss two (matches), then will be available for that third week of games,” Hardwick said.
“It’s on the lower end, it’s nothing to do with the tendon, it’s on the outside.
“If push comes to shove he could possibly play that second week.
“But with that history he’s had over the last year, we’ll probably give him that extra week just to make sure he’s ready to go.”
Midfielder Dion Prestia (ankle) and ruckman Toby Nankervis (ankle) face extended stints on the sidelines with syndesmosis injuries, while Bachar Houli and Shane Edwards have stayed behind in Melbourne for family reasons.