RICHMOND defender Bachar Houli has revealed he bravely played almost the entirety of Saturday night's Grand Final with a torn calf, having injured himself amid a chaotic first quarter in the club's remarkable victory over Geelong.

Houli, who said he felt tightness in his calf before the match, heard a 'pop' as he ran across the field during an opening term in which fellow Tigers defender Nick Vlastuin was also hurt.

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Vlastuin failed to finish the match after being knocked out following a sickening collision with Patrick Dangerfield, while retiring Cats legend Gary Ablett also appeared to dislocate his shoulder amid the frantic first few minutes of the game.

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But both Houli and Ablett returned to finish the match, with the triple-premiership Richmond player revealing the extent of his injury after the game.

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"I did my calf about two minutes after Nick Vlastuin got knocked out," Houli told Triple M afterwards.

"I thought I was done, but the great man 'Dimma' said they needed me to battle on.

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"I'm just so proud to see the boys put in that effort."

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Houli finished the match with 11 disposals, admirably fulfilling his defensive duties as Richmond overcame a 22-point deficit to comfortably overcome Geelong on its way to a third flag in four years.

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The injury comes after the veteran half-back missed round one this year with a calf injury, which also hampered him throughout much of the game's shutdown period.

However, despite flagging tightness in his calf and having the problem massaged pre-game, Houli did not believe it would result in any further injury throughout the match.

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"It was a little bit tight, but I didn't think much of it," Houli said.

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"I'd been in that same situation two times in the last six weeks, so I didn't think much of it.

"I sprinted across the ground and it popped. I thought I was done, but I knew there was no next week and I wanted to give it all I had."