Richmond coach Adem Yze literally couldn't wipe the smile off his face at the prospect of key defensive prospect and exciting talent Josh Gibcus returning to the football field after a 480-day hiatus due to an ACL injury.
Gibcus sustained his season-ending knee injury in Round 1 last year, and has been building for the past 15 months, culminating in a VFL outing on Sunday in Geelong.
The former Pick 9 played 18 games in his maiden season, and added two in 2024, with his return a welcome sight for the Tigers faithful.
"Yeah, he's playing some VFL footy, which is awesome," Yze said.
"He's been champing at the bit for the last few weeks, and he's finally got that opportunity. So a big smile comes on my face when you say his name, I can't wait.
"Obviously, they play the next day, so there'll be a heap of staff staying down to be there and support him through it. We can't wait to see him out there."
Playing alongside Gibcus will be fellow ACL victim Taj Hotton, who has spent the past fortnight in the reserves.
Hotton's outings on managed minutes have shown glimpses of why Richmond drafted the crafty mid-forward with Pick 12, despite sitting out for the majority of his draft year with the knee injury.
The 19-year-old is set to be "unleashed" this weekend against the Cats, playing a full, unhindered game in anticipation of an AFL debut later in the year.
As for Yze's senior side, Sam Lalor, along with Maurice Rioli and Tom Sims, will return to face Geelong at GHMBA Stadium on Saturday.
Lalor returns off a hamstring setback in Round 12, but the Tigers took a "cautious approach" with the Pick 1 to ensure he is "cherry ripe".
The trio replace Tom Lynch (suspension), Mykelti Lefau (calf) and Steely Green (omitted) in the lineup.
Lynch will miss the next five games after an unsuccessful Tribunal hearing earlier in the week for his strike on Adelaide's Jordon Butts.
The two-time premiership Tiger leaves the forward line rudderless, which boasts a youthful contingent such as Jonty Faull, Jasper Alger, Seth Campbell, Rhyan Mansell and Lalor.
"When you lose a leader of your footy club, and one of our most experienced forwards, it's really disappointing," Yze said.
"He had a tough week. We dealt with that in-house. He understands what he did was wrong. We spoke to the younger boys about that, that the retaliation was out of character for one, but it's something we can't tolerate.
"We needed to stress to Jonty Faull, Tom Sims and Harry Armstrong that the retaliation or that action, we can't tolerate as a club."
Despite the latest setback in Lynch's career, Yze fully expects the key forward to re-sign for season 2026, as the Tigers coach revealed discussions are underway on a new deal.
