RICHMOND vice-captain Brett Deledio is likely to be named to play his first game of this season, with the Tigers to make a call on his availability in the 48 hours before Sunday night's crunch clash against Melbourne.
Deledio has not played this season because of a persistent quad injury, but he trained on Thursday morning and is "over the hump", according to coach Damien Hardwick.
The Tigers will name an extended 25-man squad on Thursday evening but train again on Saturday, with Deledio likely to be given until then to prove his fitness.
"It'll be a bit of a risk assessment and then we'll make the decision later on Friday or Saturday," Hardwick said on Thursday.
"He's got to get through training and we'll see how that pans out. But he's made some progress from this time last week.
"We'd love to have him playing this week but we've also got a long season ahead of us."
Deledio was clearly back on track in Thursday's session, kicking with power and accuracy and taking shots on goal from long range.
His selection would be a much-needed boost for the Tigers, who need to reset their year, after a horror 1-3 start that has left them in 13th spot on the ladder.
No.1 ruckman and "spiritual leader" Ivan Maric is a certain starter after two VFL matches in his comeback from a back injury.
Fellow ruckman Shaun Hampson, who trained with his corked thigh heavily strapped, and tall defender David Astbury (ankle) still needed to prove their fitness.
Defender Dylan Grimes has suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury, with swelling behind his knee that the club needs to assess further.
He ran laps on Thursday along with Reece Conca (hamstring) and Chris Yarran (foot).
Midfielder Anthony Miles will be considered for selection against the Demons after being surprisingly dropped for last Friday night's clash against West Coast.
"We asked the kid to play a bit hurt and he probably wasn't up to his usual level of expectation," Hardwick said.
"He's a terrific player for us and he'll put his hand up to play this week."
Ivan Maric cuts a focused figure at Tigers training on Thursday. Picture: Getty Images
Fresh off a crushing 68-point loss to West Coast last Friday night, the Tigers will be under the microscope in a standalone Anzac-eve clash on Sunday night at the MCG.
Richmond has lost its past two clashes against the Demons in 2014 and 2015, but Hardwick had faith his group would make inroads this week.
"It might take one quarter and then all of a sudden you get things back on track," the coach said.
"We've always known [the Demons] are capable.
"They've beaten us the last two times over the last two years, so we've got to make sure we work hard and get the result we're after."
