RICHMOND will be without former skipper Trent Cotchin and Noah Balta for Saturday's top-eight clash with Geelong, while fellow defender Robbie Tarrant is also in doubt.

It opens the door for powerful Cats spearhead duo Tom Hawkins and Jeremy Cameron, with four-gamer Ben Miller likely to come in to play alongside Dylan Grimes.

In better news for the Tigers, superstar Dustin Martin is available to play after sitting out due to illness, and returned to training over the weekend.

Cotchin will undergo surgery on his clavicle after suffering a minor break in the bone while trying to lay a tackle, and needs a plate inserted.

The club said a timeline on his return will be clearer after the operation.

Balta re-injured his hamstring in the last minutes of the win over Carlton, although it's in a different spot to the issue he was returning from.

"There is probably some link there somewhere with his reconditioning, so we're going to have to go back and do a little bit more work in the gym with his strength-specific work and his hamstring conditioning as well as the functional movements," Richmond physical performance manager Peter Burge said.

"He's already running today at a really good speed, so it's certainly not a long-term injury. But, we do need to tread lightly with it and be careful so that when he gets back next time, he stays back and plays the rest of the year for us."

Tarrant broke a knuckle in the opening minutes of the Blues match, playing out the game, and has had minor surgery.

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"He's a chance to play this week because we do have a longer week given the nine-day break. We'll make an assessment later in the week as to his availability, but it's looking more positive by the day and Robbie's pretty tough."

The Tigers may also recall the omitted Ivan Soldo, given Balta played back-up ruck against Carlton.