ADEM Yze has avoided the need to add top-up players out of the VFL to Richmond's squad for Dreamtime at the 'G, but it won't be long before the Tigers' coach can pick Taj Hotton again.

The 2024 pick No.12 played the final seven games of 2025 after recovering from the knee reconstruction he underwent early in his draft year, only to suffer another long-term injury on the eve of this season.

Hotton has been sidelined since late February due to bone stress in his hip after completing a tailored off-season and pre-season program at Punt Road.

But after three months away from the main group, Hotton returned to full training on Wednesday ahead of the Tigers' marquee fixture against Essendon, which is the centrepiece of the two Sir Doug Nicholls Rounds.

There is a plan now in place for the 19-year-old to be available to play managed minutes at either level when Richmond returns from the bye in round 14.

"Well, it's hard not to put a smile on my face. He started training yesterday," Yze told reporters on Thursday morning. 

"He's one of the guys that post-bye, he'll be available. He'll go through a block of training for the next month, and then post the bye, he'll be on managed minutes, whether that's at AFL level or VFL.

"He's in that crew that will start to become available post bye which is not only really exciting, but it's so cool for these young lads that have obviously dealt with what they've dealt with in the first part of the year.

"There's obviously a lot of footy to be played after the Sydney game. So he's going to be one of them."

Yze had only 25 players to pick from against Euro-Yroke in round 10 and 18 players on the injury list this week, which is why Richmond GM Tim Livingstone has held ongoing conversations with AFL executive Laura Kane in the event they couldn't name a squad of 26 players. 

Campbell Gray will miss a significant chunk with a high-grade hamstring strain, but Steely Green (dislocated thumb), Luke Trainor (dislocated thumb) and Sam Cumming (corked quad) will all be available after minor concerns out of the loss to the Saints.

Mykelti Lefau will return against Essendon after being managed last week, Jasper Alger is available and Tom Sims will play managed minutes in the VFL after recovering from foot surgery at the end of last season to repair the navicular bone. Jacob Hopper didn't appear at the captain's run, but only due to management on the five-day break.

Dion Prestia, Maurice Rioli jnr and Sam Banks are all expected back for the trip to Sydney next weekend, with Toby Nankervis, Tom Brown, Hugo Ralphsmith and Hotton all after the bye.

"We were sort of one gastro outbreak from dipping into that [top-up players]," Yze said.

"But we understood what was coming. We knew that Jasper was going to be available and we looked after Mykelti; we understood that he couldn't play both games. Hopefully we've sort of (come out the other side and) can see the light at the end of the tunnel and we won't have to worry about those sorts of things."

Richmond currently has only one spot available for next Tuesday night's Mid-Season Rookie Draft, following the season-ending injury suffered by Josh Gibcus.  

The Tigers' VFL program has helped develop a glittering list of players taken mid-year, including the 2025 No.1 pick in Tom McCarthy, plus Sam Durham, Massimo D'Ambrosio, James Trezise and Archie May. 

Now Sam Toner and Mutaz El Nour – and others from Richmond's reserves – are a chance to graduate to the next level by this time last week.

"We're hoping for that because that's just another story of our VFL program producing AFL players. So yeah, obviously, fingers crossed for both of them," Yze said.

"Knowing the type of kids that they are and how hard they've toiled, whether it was with us or if they get drafted by someone else, you just love those stories around guys hanging in there at VFL level and then getting an opportunity. That's what the mid-season draft is about."

Speaking ahead of the Dreamtime clash, Yze said Richmond would treat it like a final with the 1-9 Tigers facing a Bombers side with the same record.

"We always do and we don't want to shy away from the fact that while we're going through this rebuild, big games like this we have to build them up as if they're finals games," he said.

"For Noah Roberts-Thomson to play in front of a big crowd, and Tom Burton, when we do see the end of that and we start getting games into our players and we get back to finals, this will be a stepping stone for that.

"It's going to be a finals-like atmosphere and we need our players to get ready for that. It's all part of it. It's all part of belonging on an AFL field and dealing with the stress and anxiety of playing in front of a big crowd."