RICHMOND forward Jack Riewoldt is hopeful he will return from an eye injury against Geelong on Saturday after training on Tuesday morning.
Riewoldt was accidently poked in the eye in a training incident two weeks ago, requiring surgery and several stitches and sidelining him for clashes against Gold Coast and Hawthorn.
The dual Coleman medallist was told by multiple eye specialists last Thursday that the injury had not recovered sufficiently for him to play, with the Tigers listing him as a test on their injury list this week.
Match preview: Geelong v Richmond
"I hope so," Riewoldt said on Fox Footy when asked if he would be cleared to face the Cats at Simonds Stadium in a blockbuster top-four clash.
"I tried furiously to get a game (against Hawthorn) but on doctor's advice I wasn't able to play on the weekend.
"I trained this morning and felt good and went for a run for the first time after about 10 days being a couch potato on Sunday before the game."
Riewoldt said he was mentally refreshed from the two-match break, but missing his first games since round 23, 2013 had also tested his patience and resilience.
"There is certainly an amount of frustration … I've only missed three games of footy in 11 years at both VFL and AFL level and to miss the last two with a poked eye has been hard to deal with," he said.
"But I'm really looking forward to getting out there and one training with the guys again and hopefully getting back out and playing again."