Rising star Tom Lynch did not feature in Richmondand#039;s AFL season opener but the star forward aims to be the Tigersand#039; traditional success against Carlton.Despite leaving the door open to play in Richmond’s opener against Gold Coast on Tuesday, Lynch has no realistic chance of facing his former club on March 9.The 31-year-old will instead try to take his place against the Blues at the MCG on March 14.”(The opening round) will be a bit difficult, especially with the five-day break (after), so Iand#039 focus on the first round (against Carlton) or even that Port Adelaide game. round two, andquot; said Lynch as Richmond and Collingwood announced the Food Bank Charity Shield match.andquot;I#039;I#039;I#039;Obviously I missed a lot of football, I have to get proper training and fitness.andquot;We don’t want to rush back, we want to get as many games as possible this year.andquot;Lynch has been sidelined since suffering a serious leg injury during Richmond’s round four loss to the Western Bulldogs last year.The Premier League Two player has suffered several setbacks during a slow and painful recovery but insists he is over the worst.andquot;My leg is completely healed and it’s just soft tissue (risk)andquot; Lynch said.andquot;I haven’t run in nine months, so I need to get some miles back into my legs.andquot;If we really want to push, I could stand up… but I want to play all year.andquot;It’s a new-look Richmond on and off the field as Lynch returns.Adem Yze enters his first season as coach after taking over from Damien Hardwickand, while the Tigersand#039; the striker will be without retired Jack Riewoldt.Key defender Noah Balta was used in pre-season, while Jacob Koschitzke is a natural goalscorer following his trade from Hawthorn.andquot;Noahand#039;is a great talent. Heand is at a point in his career where he is taking the next step and developing into a really consistent player, andquot; Lynch said.andquot;At best, we know how good a player he is. Heand#039;s played a little forward and mostly down the back.andquot;Richmond forward Tom Lynch will miss the opening round of the AFL season but remains hopeful of an early return.Rare bad news on the injury front for St Kilda.Get the latest pre-season news and updates on AFL Track Watch!LYNCH OUT OF TIGERS OPERATIONRichmond forward Tom Lynch will miss the opening round of the AFL season as he continues his recovery from a serious foot injury.Lynch has not played since last April when he was injured and then sat out the season.Richmond hope Lynch will be available for round one against Carlton five days after the opening round clash.That leaves industry recruit Jacob Koschitzke as the likely starter along with Noah Balta.Lynch has been a key part of Richmond’s forward line since joining the club in 2019 and played a key role in the 2019 and 2020 premierships.He scored 63 goals in 2022 before his 2023 campaign was marred by injury.LUCKY SAINT HAPPENSSt Kilda defender Ben Paton has been forced to miss three months of the season.The 25-year-old was injured during training, marking his latest layoff from a long-term injury.Paton recovered from a broken tibia and fibula in 2021, but returned in 2022 and played 20 games before getting 12 in 2023.”Obviously it’s disappointing for Ben,” football boss David Misson said.”Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Ben has suffered a long injury in 2021, breaking his tibia and fibula, but he has shown that he has the resilience and strength to overcome such difficulties.”Ben has his next appointment. with the surgeon today and will probably have surgery later this week.”We are in the best position to secure his return to the playing schedule, but early indications are that the rehabilitation period will last at least three months.”Saints have also confirmed that signing Paddy Dow is at least two weeks away from resuming full training after a knock on his knee last week.’I’M READY’: TOP RAVENS DRAFTEE FALLS ON DEBUTAdelaide top draftee Daniel Curtin says he’s excited to “show what I can do” at AFL level this season as he looks to make his pre-season debut .Curtin made a successful return to full training this week after spending a few weeks in the rehabilitation team with a knee injury.The Crows moved up from last year’s draft order to select Curtin, a versatile 197cm key defender, at Pick 8 after his outstanding 2023 campaign in which he won the WA MVP award and finished the WAFL season in the Claremont League .While his immediate focus is on the Crows’ upcoming practice games against Port Adelaide and West Coast, Curtin said he will always be well prepared when his AFL debut arrives.”Firstly, I just want to go through very strong training games and give my best,” Curtin told the club’s website.”From there, my goal is to make my debut, whether it’s the first round or later in the season, I’m not too bothered, I just want to contribute as much as possible to the team.”I’ll know when the debut comes , I’ll be ready for it, the work I’ve put in this preseason has put me in a great position and I’m really excited to show what I can do when the opportunity arises.”Curtin said he was “very confident ” in his body ahead of this month’s practice games..
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