Richmond finally have Jack Riewoldt back from injury, and if he could just stay inside the attacking 50 long enough to get to know Tom Lynch a bit better that would be just fine with Damien Hardwick.
The potent one-two punch the Tigers envisioned when they made their high-profile swoop for Lynch in the off-season hasn't become a reality yet, with the pair playing together on just three occasions.
Riewoldt will make his highly anticipated return against GWS at the MCG on Sunday after suffering a posterior cruciate ligament injury in round six, which was his first game back after three matches out with a broken wrist.
Dream team: Richmond coach Damien Hardwick can't wait to have Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt back in action together.Credit:AAP
Hardwick joked that Riewoldt's absence has been just as frustrating for him as it has been for his star forward when he spoke to reporters on Friday.
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But with his team well-placed in sixth with a 9-6 record and Riewoldt primed to work on his chemistry with Lynch, the planets are aligning for Richmond's push for a top-four finish.
"Having (Jack) back in the side just makes us better, not only from him personally, but he makes those around him better as well," Hardwick said.
"I think we'll start to see with Jack coming into his own that he'll make Tom a better player as well because he doesn't have to play on three defenders … we've got another focal point up forward that will help in that area.
"It will be a little bit of a slow burn with the amount of footy he's missed, but we think it's going to be a pretty good period for us going forward … we've just got to hope that they can click as soon as possible.
"They're both very smart players so we think it will be quicker than what it would be with an inexperienced player."
The Tigers suffered one of their worst losses of the season in round three when the Giants belted them by 49 points, Jeremy Cameron kicking seven goals and master tagger Matt de Boer driving Dustin Martin to distraction.
"I think it will be a little bit harder for Jeremy this time," HardwRead More – Source
Richmond finally have Jack Riewoldt back from injury, and if he could just stay inside the attacking 50 long enough to get to know Tom Lynch a bit better that would be just fine with Damien Hardwick.
The potent one-two punch the Tigers envisioned when they made their high-profile swoop for Lynch in the off-season hasn't become a reality yet, with the pair playing together on just three occasions.
Riewoldt will make his highly anticipated return against GWS at the MCG on Sunday after suffering a posterior cruciate ligament injury in round six, which was his first game back after three matches out with a broken wrist.
Dream team: Richmond coach Damien Hardwick can't wait to have Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt back in action together.Credit:AAP
Hardwick joked that Riewoldt's absence has been just as frustrating for him as it has been for his star forward when he spoke to reporters on Friday.
Advertisement
But with his team well-placed in sixth with a 9-6 record and Riewoldt primed to work on his chemistry with Lynch, the planets are aligning for Richmond's push for a top-four finish.
"Having (Jack) back in the side just makes us better, not only from him personally, but he makes those around him better as well," Hardwick said.
"I think we'll start to see with Jack coming into his own that he'll make Tom a better player as well because he doesn't have to play on three defenders … we've got another focal point up forward that will help in that area.
"It will be a little bit of a slow burn with the amount of footy he's missed, but we think it's going to be a pretty good period for us going forward … we've just got to hope that they can click as soon as possible.
"They're both very smart players so we think it will be quicker than what it would be with an inexperienced player."
The Tigers suffered one of their worst losses of the season in round three when the Giants belted them by 49 points, Jeremy Cameron kicking seven goals and master tagger Matt de Boer driving Dustin Martin to distraction.
"I think it will be a little bit harder for Jeremy this time," HardwRead More – Source
