High Performance Manager Ben Serpell provides an injury update as Richmond returns from its bye.

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Serpell said the group is feeling refreshed after the mid-season break and are eager for Sunday's clash with the Western Bulldogs.

"They're doing quite well and have all enjoyed a break and come in with a bit of energy. Training was pretty quick yesterday and I think they're all ready to get back playing this weekend," Serpell said.

03:16

Taj Hotton: ACL, Test

"Exciting to say that Taj is a test for this week. If he gets through main training on Thursday, then he'll be available to play this weekend," Serpell said.

Jayden Short: Calf, 1 week

"Jayden Short was down for a test and we started testing him last week. He probably hasn't progressed as well as we would have liked, so we will give him another week before we make him available for selection," Serpell said.

Sam Lalor: Hamstring, 1-3 weeks

"Sammy Lalor is going quite well, unlike everyone else, he didn't get a break last week and was in for a bit of rehab. He did a bit of running yesterday and ran fast for the first time for a while," Serpell said.

"We want to spend a bit of time to make sure that he's ready to perform, not just play, and he can slot straight back into the AFL side if needed."

Josh Smillie: Conditioning, 2-4 weeks

"Smil's having a conditioning block and that's going quite well at the moment, he's making some really good gains athletically," Serpell said.

"We're ready for him to continue running fast and doing that a lot. We're probably looking around two to four weeks with him."

Josh Gibcus: ACL, 2-5 weeks

"Gibbo is doing really well, we're excited to see him out there doing more training without a non-contact hat on. That's exciting," Serpell said.

"He also missed out on having a break, but he came in and got a good body of work done through the bye period, putting himself in the best position possible to get back to play.

"We're expecting him to be available for selection in around two to five weeks."

01:53

Harry Armstrong: Hamstring, 2-5 weeks

“Harry, similar to the other guys, didn't go away last week and came in for some more training. He's running fast and he's getting involved in a lot more footy drills now," Serpell said.

"Unfortunately for Harry, because he's missed such a big chunk of time, we need to make sure that he does get enough footy exposure over the next little while. With the bye, he missed that, so he's still around two to five weeks away." 

Thomson Dow: Patella, 4-7 weeks

"Unfortunately for Dowy, things aren't progressing too well in these early stages. He's still yet to start running," Serpell said.

"We'll just wait until we can get some swelling off that knee before he starts running."

Campbell Gray: Knee, TBC

“Similar to Dowy, Campbell Gray, we're not really sure where he's at. We just want to see where he settles for the next little while," Serpell said.

"He tried running the other day, didn't respond all that well, so we can't really give a timeline. Thankfully, he avoided serious injury, so we can expect to see him out there again this year."

Judson Clarke: ACL, Season

"We're still in the process of consulting a number of different surgeons, to make sure that we can get this right going forward. Once we've got an idea of what we're going to do, we'll give an update of where that's at and when he gets surgery," Serpell said.

"But certainly, he's not due back until next year, at this stage."

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Player Injury Estimated Return
11. Luke Trainor

11. Luke Trainor

Hip Test

Trainor presented with hip soreness after the first session after the bye.

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34. Harry Armstrong

34. Harry Armstrong

Foot Round 16-18

Harry Armstrong suffered a bone stress in his foot during the Round 3 match with Fremantle.

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23. Judson Clarke

23. Judson Clarke

ACL Round 16-18

Clarke ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during the Round 11 VFL game against Sydney last year.

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4. Sam Lalor

4. Sam Lalor

Achilles Round 16-20

Lalor suffered a partial tear to his Achilles during a training session in the lead-up to Round 8.

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19. Tom Lynch

19. Tom Lynch

Throat Round 17

Lynch sustained a larynx fracture in Round 11.

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38. Tom Sims

38. Tom Sims

MCL Round 18-20

Sims sustained an MCL injury in the Round 9 VFL game.

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50. Campbell Gray

50. Campbell Gray

Hamstring Round 19-23

Gray suffered a high-grade hamstring strain in Round 10.

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5. Jack Ross

5. Jack Ross

Concussion TBC

Ross presented with concussion symptoms after the Round 12 AFL game.

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16. Josh Smillie

16. Josh Smillie

Quad TBC

Smillie sustained a small re-tear of the injury he acquired in February.

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8. Jonty Faull

8. Jonty Faull

Back Season

Faull will miss the remainder of the 2026 AFL season due to stress fractures in his back.

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18. Josh Gibcus

18. Josh Gibcus

Knee Season

Gibcus sustained an ACL sprain in the VFL Round 5 game.

Read Article
23. Judson Clarke

23. Judson Clarke

Clarke ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee during the Round 11 VFL game against Sydney last year.

Read Article
Injury: ACL
Est. Return: Round 16-18
4. Sam Lalor

4. Sam Lalor

Lalor suffered a partial tear to his Achilles during a training session in the lead-up to Round 8.

Read Article
Injury: Achilles
Est. Return: Round 16-20
8. Jonty Faull

8. Jonty Faull

Faull will miss the remainder of the 2026 AFL season due to stress fractures in his back.

Read Article
Injury: Back
Est. Return: Season

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