Latest news with #JoshSmillie
News.com.au
7 days ago
- Health
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Richmond tweaks training to strike perfect fitness balance
Richmond has set 'a really clear plan' to strike the balance between preventing injuries and improving fitness in the back end of games. GWS ran over the top of the Tigers last week, kicking five unanswered goals in the final term to win by three points. It was Richmond's second loss by less than a kick in three matches after losing narrowly to North Melbourne in May. With such a young list, an acceleration of match fitness runs the risk of injuring the young players unconditioned to AFL loads. But Richmond coach Adem Yze said the Tigers and high performance manager Ben Serpell had implemented structures to boost fitness with less risk. 'Ben Serpell has set around whether they have a lighter week, I think Jonty Faull is having a lighter week this week and that was planned,' he said. 'We've set a really clear plan on their training loads throughout the year, obviously Josh (Smillie) and Sammy Lalor are having a break now because of injury. 'But if it does come to a point where they've played four, five, six games in a row, they will have a lighter week. 'We don't want them to be missing games, but we will just manage their program. It will just take time. 'Our big boys are playing on some quality defenders and they will be for the rest of the year. It's going to be hard to be consistent across four quarters, but that's what we're trying to fast-track.' Yze said there were no glaring trends from the second close loss, aside from failing to run out the entirety of the match. He took confidence out of the statistics that indicated a much closer contest in the last then the scoreboard suggested. 'Like I said post game, I would be worried if we just got smashed in clearance or inside 50s or couldn't get it out of our back end,' he said. 'On the weekend I think the last quarter was 15 inside 50s to 13. We had some opportunities, we just got a bit tired. 'A couple of younger boys we've noticed late in games are playing on really good defenders, like Sam Taylor's last quarter was enormous. 'We'll look at that, we'll help our younger boys through that, but it's going to take time. 'We're striving to play four-quarter footy. On the weekend we played 3½ and it wasn't good enough.'
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Richmond positive about injury progress of top draft pick yet to be seen at AFL level
Richmond fans have a timeline for when they could see each of last year's first-round draftees in action, as Josh Smillie makes positive steps towards his recovery. Taken at pick seven in last year's bumper draft haul by the rebuilding Tigers, Smillie's highly anticipated debut has been on delay after he suffered a second hamstring setback of the season. The first tweak hindered Smillie's pre-season and the second postponed his momentum towards game one, leaving fellow draftees, including No.1 pick Sam Lalor, to get their AFL careers going before he could. But Richmond coach Adem Yze provided an encouraging update on Wednesday, clarifying Smillie's 'TBC' on the club's injury list as 'four to six weeks'. 'Ben (Serpell, high performance manager) will give that timeline, but he's (Smillie) travelling really well, he's running,' Yze said. '(Serpell) will obviously talk about that more than I will. but he's (Smillie) not that far away, it could be four to six weeks. 'I think it will be closer to four, which is good. He's progressing nicely, we just wanted to make sure we set a really good plan for him.' Yze said Smillie would undergo another training block to build fitness. Richmond held Smillie to limited minutes in the VFL after his first injury and applied the same process to premiership midfielder Dion Prestia last week. 'There's obviously going to be his return to play from the injury and then the amount of training load,' Yze said. 'We want him to come back and really set himself for that back part of the year, that's the only reason why it's TBC right now. 'It was (the same injury as earlier in the year) but it was minor, he's in the gym to really strengthen it, that's why it might be a little bit longer.' Serpell said Smillie was recovering well but would take all measures necessary to ensure he was 'robust' enough for senior football. 'Smillie is progressing quite well, we want to focus on his development from an athletic perspective,' Serpell said. 'The hamstring itself is looking quite good, but we want to make sure that he is ready to play senior football as soon as possible and make sure he is robust for that.' Taj Hotton (Pick No.12) and Smillie are the only two first-round picks the Tigers' supporters are yet to get a glimpse of. But Hotton is set to join training and build towards playing in coming weeks. 'We expect to see (Hotton and Josh Gibcus) out training in the next few weeks without a non-contact hat on,' Serpell said. 'About four or so weeks of that and we can expect to see them out playing again.'
News.com.au
22-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Richmond star Dion Prestia will make his long-awaited return this weekend
Richmond premiership star Dion Prestia will make his long-awaited return from injury through the VFL this weekend. Prestia, yet to play a game in 2025, had been hindered by yet another soft-tissue setback. He has acted as an assistant coach to the young Tigers this year, in particular Sam Lalor and Josh Smillie, but will pull the boots on himself this Saturday night. Richmond coach Adem Yze admits there was a temptation to rush Prestia back into the AFL team, but he wants to learn from the lessons of last season. 'There always is with the talent he's got and the leadership he provides,' Yze said. 'It's a funny one, when you lose (Tom) Lynchy and (Noah) Balta goes out, well maybe we do (bring him back) but we can't break that (plan). 'His season last year, you could see how important he was when he come in and we probably did it the wrong way and he missed six weeks. 'We've got to learn from that, be really clear and consistent with the plan we've done and he'll go play on Saturday night in Frankston and help our younger boys. 'If he gets through, he'll be available the week after. We're playing the long game with him as well.' Prestia will play a half of footy over the first three quarters in Richmond's match against Essendon at Frankston Park on Saturday night. Richmond's injury list is slowly shrinking with the exception of top draftees Smillie and Harry Armstrong. Armstrong, mending a hamstring, took strides in his recovery on Thursday morning when he got the footy back in his hands. Yze says the time off is somewhat of a gift to the promising goalkicker as it allows him to spend further time in the gym. 'I think if you ask him he would say he's flying and he is,' he said. 'He's getting a big training block in, I think he's five or six weeks away from playing which is a real positive. 'He'll get some footy later in the year and he's had the opportunity right now, his body is filled in, so we'll take that blessing in the time he's going to have out. 'He can hit the gym and put a few kilos on and he's done that … it was nice to see him out there kicking a few footys around today.'
