Richmond forward Tom Lynch is set to miss a huge chunk of the AFL season after suffering a significant hamstring injury in Sunday's five-point win over Sydney.
And the bad news keeps coming for the banged-up Tigers, with Noah Balta expected to miss three to five weeks with a knee injury, and vice-captain Liam Baker handed a one-match suspension.
Lynch, who was restricted to just four games last year because of a foot complaint, is likely to need surgery after injuring the tendon behind his left knee late in the win over Sydney.
The 31-year-old planted his leg awkwardly following contact in a marking contest. He felt immediate discomfort and took himself from the field.
Richmond are yet to put a timeline on his return, but say it's a "longer-term" injury.
“It is rotten luck for Tom, who worked extremely diligently to prepare his body for the season after what was a tough season for him last year,” Richmond's football performance manager Tim Livingstone said in a statement.
“Unfortunately for Tom, he landed in a motion that has caused this injury.
“He will consult a surgeon in the coming days, which will give us a clearer picture of the injuries timeline, but we are expecting he will be out for the longer term.”
Balta felt discomfort in the final seconds of the match, with subsequent scans showing a "moderate" medial collateral ligament injury.
The 24-year-old had made a bright start to the season in his new role in attack.
“In one of the last contests of the game, Noah unfortunately hurt his knee, and scans have confirmed some damage to his MCL,” Livingstone said.
“We will assess him further this week, but we do not expect him to play before the bye.”
The Tigers are still without the likes of Jacob Hopper (knee, three to five weeks), Dion Prestia (hamstring, seven weeks) and Josh Gibcus (knee, season).
Baker will also miss Sunday's clash with St Kilda in Adelaide after being slapped with a one-match ban for his flying bump on Lewis Melican.
Lynch kicked three goals against Sydney, and his extended loss is a huge blow to Richmond's hopes of making the finals under first-year coach Adem Yze.
