AFL superstar Dustin Martin has "turned a corner" in his recovery from a hamstring injury and could be fit for Richmond's elimination final, but the Tigers are sweating on spearhead Tom Lynch's fitness.
Triple Norm Smith Medallist Martin hasn't played since round 16 after injuring, then aggravating, his hamstring while teammate Jack Graham missed Saturday night's win over Essendon with an ongoing toe injury.
Coach Damien Hardwick said Graham was "touch and go" but backed both premiership Tigers to make their case for the first week of finals, after next week's bye.
"We'd imagine those two will certainly put their hand up to play," Hardwick told reporters after Saturday night's 21.15 (141) to 11.9 (75) win over Essendon.
"He's (Martin has) probably turned a corner, which is good.
"So obviously it's been a little bit of a holding pattern for a period of time but he felt great this morning, trained really, really well, good intent and length of session as well.
"So he's trending in the right direction, which is a positive for us.
"We know what his impact can be both on and off the field, he's such an important person to the fabric of our footy club.
"We we look forward to getting him to the line and giving him every chance to play."
Sidelined co-captain Dylan Grimes is "more unlikely than likely" to feature in the first week of finals given the severity of his hamstring injury.
Lynch, who booted five goals, will have scans on Sunday after worsening groin soreness forced his substitution in the fourth quarter.
"We'll wait until the scans come back tomorrow, but it's never a good sign when a guy finishes the game on the bench," Hardwick said.
"But we're reasonably confident that he'll get up. But we'll confirm that tomorrow."
Hardwick expected the return of senior players to create some heartbreak stories but relished Richmond's competition for places.
He delighted in how the Tigers had rebounded from missing finals last year and a slow start to 2022 to hit the pointy end of the season in form while bringing through fresh talent.
"The most exciting thing about Richmond is our future, I'm pumped with the playing list we've got and what it's going to look like moving forward," he said.
"But the fact of the matter is we've given ourselves a chance to salute this year, while still contending and moving forward through a period of sustained success."
