Richmond coach Adem Yze has backed experienced forward Tom Lynch to play on in 2027.
He will return on Sunday from a larynx injury which has sidelined him since Round 11, which follows the return of fellow leaders Toby Nankervis, Jack Ross and Rhyan Mansell in the last fortnight as the club hunts its second win of the season.
The 243-game player remains uncontracted beyond this season.
“No doubt,” Yze said when asked if Lynch had another year left in him.
"His form when he plays and the ripple effect of when he plays with our really young forward line... I'll be sort of pushing for the fact that what he brings on and off the field, yeah no doubt he's got some footy left in him for sure."
With eight games remaining in Richmond's season, contract talks are only building around the club's veteran players and prospering young talent.
But for Yze, the focus as of now isn't list management but rather navigating one of the hardest periods of his side's rebuild.
Quizzed on the future of the 2024 draft class who all remain unsigned, Yze indicated those conversations are ongoing.
"The discussions around that draft class are happening right now so if we can obviously lock a few of those boys away before the end of the season, that's great," Yze said.
"We understand the talent we've got, we understand the people that will be looking at those players, so yeah that might happen earlier than our older players, but those discussions are always happening and ongoing."
After a season heavily set back by injuries, the Tigers are finally beginning to see some stability return, with experienced bodies filtering back into the side.
Lapses for quarters within games have consistently prevented the Tigers from competing with the best sides this year, but an increasingly healthy list has Yze optimistic.
"Some of it's around the technical and tactical and the method around what we're doing, but some of it's around our mental mastery," he said.
"Staying engaged, making sure we can deny teams with momentum and making sure we're all on the same page.
"Having the same guys back out there, having "Nank" back out there, having some leaders out there that can make adjustments in game and in quarter is going to be really important.
"We lost our way for a little bit in the second quarter last week. We hope we don't have to do that again."
