Richmond three key players will miss the opening round of the AFL season but remains hopeful of an early return.Also some rare bad news on the St Kilda injury front.Richmond forward Tom Lynch will miss the opening round of the AFL season as he continues his recovery from a serious leg 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.St Kilda defender Ben Paton will miss three months of the season with a tear.The 25-year-old was injured during training, marking his latest dismissal.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 Ben has suffered a long injury setback in 2021 with broken tibia and fibula, but he has shown that he has the resilience and strength to overcome such adversity.”Next, Ben will see . surgeon today and will likely 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 has at least two weeks to resume full training after dropping to his knee last week..
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 line up against the Blues at the MCG on March 14.(the opening round) will be a bit difficult, especially after the five-day break (after), so Iand#039; I’m focusing on round one (against Carlton) or even that Port Adelaide game in round two, andquot; said Lynch as Richmond and Collingwood announced the Food Bank Charity Shield match.andquot;I#039;I#039;obviously I missed a lot of football, I need 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.Game AFL 2024The premiership two player has suffered several setbacks during a slow and agonizing 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 wanted to push, I could stand… 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 Damien Hardwickand#039;, while the Tigersand#039; the striker is without the retired Jack Riewoldt.Key defender Noah Balta was used in pre-season, while Jacob Koschitzke is a natural in goal after being traded 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;.
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