Richmond coach Adem Yze has hinted that Toby Nankervis' replacement will come down to either Campbell Gray or Ollie Hayes-Brown.
Yze confirmed that Samson Ryan would play minutes in the VFL this weekend after missing the start of the year with a foot injury.
It leaves untried basketball convert Hayes-Brown and Gray, who played 32 per cent game time in Round Zero as the secondary ruck, as the viable options, to replace the hamstrung skipper.
“(Hayes-Brown) will be in the mix but we've got training today. There's a couple of different models we could look at,” Yze said.
“Campbell Gray helped us in the ruck in the last few weeks but played down back at VFL on the weekend. Samson Ryan is coming back and playing on the weekend but it won't be at AFL level.”
Hayes-Brown came up against star VFL ruck Brayden Crossley in Round 1 of the VFL and had just 17 hitouts compared to the Southport ruck's 40, but he also had 17 disposals and four clearances.
Hayes-Brown received a coaches vote and was praised post-game by Tigers VFL coach Jack Madgen.
“Although we lost hitouts on the day, Ollie showcased his ability on ground level and in the air with 15 contested possessions and four contested marks,” Madgen said.
“I am really enjoying seeing him continue to develop his ruck craft and assert himself on games at the VFL level."
Following Round Zero when Gray played limited game time in the ruck due to the club lacking an obvious secondary ruck option, Yze indicated Gray in the ruck would likely be a one-off, but the Tigers could be again forced to turn to him given a dearth of obvious replacements.
Another option that has been floated externally is having a mix of Noah Balta, Mykelti Lefau and other key-position players rotate through the ruck.
The Tigers had VAFA star Boston Dowling training with them in pre-season before choosing Tom Burton in the Supplemental Selection Period, leaving them with little ruck depth behind Nankervis.
