BOOM Richmond youngster Sydney Stack is unlikely to play again this season, with the club confirming the teenager is expected to undergo surgery on his injured ankle.

The 19-year-old hurt his right ankle during the opening half of Richmond's 12-point VFL victory over Essendon on Saturday and failed to return to the field after half-time.

He was later seen on crutches and Richmond assistant coach Justin Leppitsch confirmed on Sunday that the news wasn't good for the highly rated youngster.

"It's not great he’ll probably need surgery by the looks of things," Leppitsch said on Melbourne radio station 3AW.

"Something similar happened to Kane Lambert this time last year, so there is a small chance for Sydney to make an impact if he can.

"But given his age and inexperience, compared to that of Kane Lambert, it’s going to be difficult for him to make an impact this year."

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Stack has played 17 games for the Tigers this season but was dropped to the VFL last week after gathering just 12 disposals in the Tigers' round 21 victory over Carlton.

He had made a strong start to the VFL Clash at Windy Hill, having collected 15 disposals prior to half-time before injuring his ankle.

Stack is one of the contenders for the NAB AFL Rising Star award this season, with a total of 10 goals and an average of more than 17 disposals per game in 2019.