Faced with his latest AFL personnel crisis, Richmond coach Damien Hardwick will do what he’s done all season – back in his Tiger cubs to get the job done.
The club’s ruck stocks took a hit at the AFL tribunal on Tuesday night when seldom-used Ivan Soldo joined injured No.1 ruckman Toby Nankervis on the sidelines for Saturday night’s big Dreamtime at the ‘G clash with Essendon.
Hardwick told reporters on Thursday that either Callum Coleman-Jones, who would make his AFL debut, or Mabior Chol, who has played one AFL game, will play against the Bombers in front of a huge crowd at the MCG.
Soldo’s suspension in his first game of the season continued a run of bad luck for Richmond this year that has seen injured premiership stars including Alex Rance, Jack Riewoldt and Trent Cotchin miss substantial amounts of football.
But the Tigers are set up for a top-four assault with a 6-3 record, thanks in no small part to the ability of inexperienced players like Noah Balta, Sydney Stack and Shai Bolton to step up.
Hardwick is confident Coleman-Jones or Chol will do the same.
“Are they ready?” Hardwick mused at his weekly press conference.
“We’re not sure but I’ve said that to all of our (inexperienced) guys when they’ve come in and they’ve delivered in spades.
“It’s been really exciting. It’s amazing when players step up to fill the void.
“Our expectation is that those players rise to the challenge and they have done at every step so far.”
Balta has impressed with his raw athleticism in stints as a back-up ruckman but Hardwick said it would probably be “a little bit crazy” not to give the 19-year-old some support in the role.
Hardwick confirmed Daniel Rioli will get to wear the Dreamtime guernsey he and his family designed after coming back from a week off with a sore thigh and ribs via the VFL
“He was playing a little bit banged up and even last week he wasn’t quite sure if he was right to play so he played at the lower level,” the coach said.
“But we put him through the middle and he chased and tackled, which was exactly what we were after from him.
“He’s so important to the way that we play and is certainly a barometer for how we play so we welcome him back.”