Foley has played just four matches this season after missing the first four with the ankle problem.
He was close to selection for Friday night’s match against St Kilda, but Tigers coach Damien Hardwick said he would take a conservative approach with his vice-captain.
“We’re going to give Nathan another week off. We think he’s over the worst of his ankle troubles so from our point-of-view we’ll give him another week off and he’ll play against West Coast the following week,” Hardwick said on Thursday morning.
“We don’t want to get into a week-in, week-out thing. We just want to nip it in the bud and then hopefully he plays the remainder of the season.”
Foley might still be sidelined but teammate Troy Simmonds will be brought into the team to play his final game at AFL level.
Simmonds announced his retirement last week and Hardwick said the departure of the popular ruckman would inspire the Tigers.
“It’s always an emotional occasion when a guy finishes up after close to 200 games. Troy is very well regarded and well respected within our footy club so hopefully he can go off with a win,” Hardwick said.
“He’s in our leadership group and he’s been terrific for my short time here. He is very popular amongst our playing group. We hope we give him the right result.”
For the first time in a long time, Richmond comes into a game with winning form after last week’s victory over Port Adelaide. It was a physical encounter in atrocious conditions but Hardwick said his players had recovered strongly in their six-day break.
“All our guys have pulled up pretty well. Those sorts of games are a hard slog but sometimes you don’t feel as bad because you don’t cover as much ground. It was horrendous conditions but our guys pulled up pretty well.”
The game against the Saints is Richmond’s only Friday night match for the season and Hardwick said his young side would benefit from playing on the big stage.
“It’s a great experience for our guys. Most Friday night games are the premier match and it is a great build-up to that week.
“From our point of view it remains relatively similar but it is a great game for our guys to experience. They are playing a quality opposition in a big game format.”
