Richmond faces the Adelaide Crows at the Adelaide Oval in a primetime Saturday night contest this weekend.
Here are some burning questions that could determine the result of the game.
How much energy does Judson Clarke’s return bring?
In a sight for sore eyes, Judson Clarke will play his first AFL game in 867 days on Saturday night, after a wretched run with injuries.
Clarke’s last AFL appearance came in Round 2 of the 2024 season against Port Adelaide, way back on March 24 of that year.
A few weeks later, on April 13, 2024, Clarke ruptured his ACL in a VFL game against Werribee. He would make his return just over 12 months later, on April 24, 2025, in the VFL against Casey.
In a devastating blow, just six games later, on June 7, 2025, Clarke ruptured his ACL in the VFL, marking the third time he has suffered the serious injury in his career.
After fighting through rehab, which included a trip to the University of Oregon earlier this year to leave no stone unturned in getting back to full fitness, Clarke returned via the VFL on July 4 against Carlton.
Building strong form in the reserves, while also increasing his game time and loads, Clarke’s magnet is officially back on the AFL board for Saturday night’s battle in Adelaide, 867 days since the 22-year-old's last match at the level.
You won’t find many more positive people than Clarke, who has maintained that smile, optimism and enthusiasm even through some dark times, and there’s no doubt his return will boost Richmond’s energy this weekend.
Can Tigers maintain the winning momentum?
Richmond is coming off a high after its 11-point win over West Coast, and Adem Yze’s men will be keen to carry that momentum into Saturday night’s clash.
As important as last week’s win was, a constant message coming out from the playing group after the result was ensuring the final three games of the season aren’t wasted, and the winning energy is multiplied.
“The one-to-four year players, we had a chat during the week about not wasting these last few games and setting a few goals to get something out of it,” defender Kye Annand said.
“It’s a good start, and we will keep going…it would be huge. Not just for the last few games but to go into next year.”
Sam Lalor added that extra motivation exists in the potential to throw a spanner in the works of the finals hopes of other teams, something the Tigers have a chance to do against the Crows.
“They’re going to step up their pressure, and we’ve got to play like it’s finals footy as well,” Lalor said.
“We want to bring a lot of momentum into next year. We’ve still got plenty of time, three weeks of training, three weeks of games to learn a lot about ourselves as players and three games to bond as a group.
“Hopefully we can wreck some other team’s chances for finals. We still have a lot to play for, and we’re super excited.”
How can Tigers slow Dawson and Rankine?
Richmond will remember two things fondly from the Round 9 meeting with Adelaide earlier this year - the impact star Crows duo Jordan Dawson and Izak Rankine had on the result.
Rankine recorded 33 disposals, 684 metres gained, eight score involvements and a goal, while Dawson added 29 disposals and 573 metres gained in the 37-point Adelaide victory.
Yze has mentioned several times this season how valuable the experience of learning and playing against the AFL’s best will benefit and fast-track the development of Richmond’s youngsters, and Saturday night presents another opportunity to do so against Rankine and Dawson.
