Sidelined Richmond forward Tom Lynch is likely to play the Tigers' final two matches of the season or none at all as he eyes a potential late-season return from a hamstring injury.
The veteran Tiger will have a full week on the track next week ahead of the club's Round 23 meeting with Hawthorn, with a decision on Lynch's playing prospects to be made ahead of Richmond's penultimate game of the year.
Should Lynch be deemed unfit to return, or the risk of a comeback within the final fortnight of the home and away season be seen as too big of a risk for the injury-plagued star, the Tigers will put a line through his chances of a comeback before the season's end.
The opportunity for Lynch to face both Hawthorn and Gold Coast still presents if the 31-year-old can get through next week's block unscathed.
A hamstring injury that has faced some delays has meant Lynch has not played since Round 14, an affair that only just saw the 220-gamer return from a similar injury after 10 weeks on the sidelines.
A foot injury derailed Lynch's pre-season, with the ailment following a four-game 2023 campaign that was also cut short due to injury. Richmond's desire to have their 2022 best and fairest winner fit and firing for the start of next year could outweigh the chance of having Lynch line up for Adem Yze's side in the coming weeks.
"He's going into his second week of training, he'll have a full week next week. There's a possibility that he might be available for the Hawthorn game," Yze said on Thursday.
"But if it comes to that point and our fitness staff say that he needs one more week of training, then to play one game of AFL footy to finish off the season might be a bit too high-risk.
"We'll make that decision at the end of next week. He will have enough volume of training that we're in a position to make that decision. A lot of that decision is going to be around 'Lynchy'.
"He hasn't had a pre-season for two years, so that might override all of that. He's pushing to train. It's really hard if you haven't had a pre-season to try and find times throughout the season to get the volume of a pre-season in. He hasn't had the luxury of doing that, so right now he's almost having a mini pre-season."
Richmond will make at least three changes for this week's clash with St Kilda at Marvel Stadium as the Tigers officially enter an era without champion midfielder Dustin Martin, who announced his retirement on Tuesday.
Martin will come out of the side that lost to North Melbourne last Saturday given his decision to retire with immediate effect, while young pair Tom Brown (shoulder and ankle) and Steely Green (ankle and toe) will also make way after injuries curtailed their respective campaigns.
Brown underwent surgery on a hampered shoulder on Wednesday and will be sidelined for an extended period as he eyes a clear runway before the pre-season commences.
Young onballer Kane McAuliffe will need to prove his fitness at training on Thursday to be deemed available to play after being sidelined with a hip issue.
Duo Maurice Rioli and Marion Pickett will play in the VFL this weekend after having limited returns from injury in recent weeks, while Jack Ross and Liam Fawcett will also play at the state league level after overcoming their own long-term setbacks.
Young defender Kaleb Smith and midfield pairing Thomson Dow and Tyler Sonsie will be in the mix to be recalled by Yze for Round 22.
One of them may be required after a late development on the injury front, with star utility Liam Baker being pulled from the weekend's clash with a concussion suffered at training on Thursday.
The knock was sustained in the morning session ahead of selection and will unfortunately rule Baker out of the Tigers' Round 23 clash also during his stint in 12-day concussion protocols.
Richmond will host the Saints at Marvel Stadium on Sunday at 3:20pm (AEST).