Key Richmond duo Dustin Martin and Nick Vlastuin are under an injury cloud ahead of the side's clash with Adelaide next Thursday.
Martin suffered a corked leg in the Tigers' 67-point loss to Geelong on Friday night, but is expected to be available, while Vlastuin battled through a hip issue.
"We thought about icing it up but he (Martin) wanted to keep going โฆ it probably softened his impact a little bit," Hardwick told reporters post-match.
He expected the 2017 Brownlow medallist to get up for the six-day turnaround.
"He finished off the game. He'll look after himself and get it right, so we'd assume he'll play next week."
Brandon Ellis (groin) remains a chance to return against the Crows, while David Astbury (hamstring) and Kane Lambert (achilles) are more likely to come back after the club's round 14 bye.
"(Astbury's) had some soreness there and it probably just flared up. Initially we thought it might be just one week. We think it's going to be another week at this stage, and just get him through to the bye and reassess," Hardwick said.
Lambert has not played since the club's round nine win over Hawthorn and Hardwick said he would not be rushed back.
"That's another one, we're just looking at the situation and whether we take the extra week into the bye. He's another player we miss enormously at the moment. He's probably less likely to play against Adelaide," Hardwick said.
