RICHMOND is expecting Dylan Grimes' hamstring injury to be minor but concedes the gun defender could be out of action until this year's finals series.
Grimes suffered the injury during the Tigers' win over West Coast on Thursday night in the only sour point to the 27-point victory.
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Coach Damien Hardwick said the club was optimistic Grimes would only be sidelined for a short period of time, even though it was likely to include multiple games as the AFL kicks into another crammed fixture block.
"We think it's on the minor end of the scale but we'll have it scanned either tomorrow or the day following and we'll give you guys the information," Hardwick said post-game.
"Dyl's had some history [with soft-tissue injuries] so we just have to be mindful with such an important players for us and one of the best defenders in the AFL. We've got to make sure he's right for when the whips are cracking."
Richmond's final game of the home and away season is scheduled for Saturday, September 19 against Adelaide, meaning any longer than a 23-day recovery from the injury would mean he won't play again until the finals.
"We're very conservative with these type of injuries and he's such an important player to the way we play. We just want to make sure he's back and he's right," Hardwick said.
The Eagles didn't get through their first loss since round four unscathed either, with champion forward Josh Kennedy suffering a concussion in the first term.
Kennedy was crunched as opponent Noah Balta flew for a mark in the opening term and staggered off the field later on before being ruled out of the rest of the game.
Coach Adam Simpson said he was unsure if Kennedy could face Essendon next Tuesday or be ready for the following Sunday's meeting with the Western Bulldogs.
"He got a head knock and obviously couldn't come back on. I had a chat to him at three-quarter time, I'm not quite sure if he knew I was talking to him or not. We just have to assess him but we'll do whatever is right for him," Simpson said.
"I didn't see [the incident] but he's OK, we'll just have to assess him. [The short break] will make it difficult but every case is different so we won’t be pushing it, we'll do whatever the docs say. We'll follow whatever they tell us."
Key forward Oscar Allen looks the likely replacement for Kennedy if he isn’t ready to face the Bombers next week.
Allen missed the clash with the Tigers due to a minor hip injury and the quick turnaround in games meant the club wanted to play it safe with the important youngster.
"With the four days and travel we didn't want to push him to the line so he'll be available next week," Simpson said.