RICHMOND is confident star forward Jack Riewoldt will return to face Hawthorn on Sunday after missing last week with a "significant" eye injury.
Riewoldt had a check-up with his eye specialist on Thursday, and the Tigers expected to have a definitive answer on his availability when they named their squad on Thursday evening.
Football manager Neil Balme remained upbeat about Riewoldt's chances of facing the Hawks when contacted on Thursday afternoon, but was unable to reveal the specialist's verdict.
The two-time Coleman medalist was withdrawn from the Tigers' line-up that travelled to Metricon Stadium last week and beat Gold Coast with the injury, which he suffered at training.
He required stitches on the white part and top of his eyeball after the incident and couldn't see out of the eye for six hours due to the blood in the socket, but the Tigers are optimistic he will be fit to run onto the MCG for the Hawks clash.
"We think [he's likely]. He's got a specialist appointment today so we're hoping he gets the tick off from that. It was a pretty significant injury when you think he had seven or eight stitches in that eye and it was more the bleeding behind the eye that was the concern," Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said on SEN on Thursday.
"Trying to keep Jack out of the game last week was hard enough. God forbid if he's a chance to miss this one. He does everything right, he's an ultimate professional and we're pretty confident he'll play this week once he gets that tick off."
Riewoldt himself told RSN the Tigers' medical staff were happy with his progress but the specialist would make a call before Friday's training session.
He said the main issue was the cornea of his eye, which was grazed in the training incident.
"[They have to be sure] that has healed up enough to not re-bleed and that they feel comfortable that I am not going to re-injure it from just running around," Riewoldt said.
The 28-year-old has kicked 42 goals for the season from 17 games and been the main marking target of a restructured forward set up built around the Tigers' group of small options.
The Tigers enter the clash in fourth position and a game clear of fifth-placed Port Adelaide, and it will be the first time since round 12, 2006 that Richmond has met Hawthorn with the Tigers better placed on the ladder.
Richmond may also blood a debutant, with aggressive first-year midfielder Jack Graham set to be named in the squad of 25. The South Australian, who won the Larke Medal last year as the best player in the division one NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, has come back from a fractured ankle at the start of the season.
"He's in the squad. He had a terrific game at VFL level last week and I've been really excited about him for a little while," Hardwick said.
"When he does debut, and whether it is this week or not we're not quite sure at this stage, he'll be a very good player for us."
