Richmond suffers more pain as injury list blows out to 17

May 1, 2026 — 3:29pm

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Richmond’s injury crisis has taken another wretched turn with defender Josh Gibcus to miss the rest of the season because of a sprained anterior cruciate ligament.

The club’s injury list has swelled to 17, leaving the club with just four fit players outside their AFL team for this week. So bare are their playing stocks, the club named just three AFL-listed players in their VFL team to play on Friday night.

Confirmation of Gibcus’s season-ending injury came a day after prized youngster Sam Lalor suffered what the Tigers described as a “partial Achilles injury” during training.

It is the third season in a row the Tigers have been hit hard by injury.

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Winless so far in 2026, they now have just two fit players from their bumper 2024 draft haul available, depriving the club of the opportunity to pump games into many of their future stars.

Gibcus’s injury is to his left knee and not the right knee he had reconstructed in 2024. The No.9 pick from the 2021 draft, Gibcus has managed just four games since the start of 2023 due to a series of serious injuries.

The key defender came off last weekend during the first quarter of a VFL game to be assessed for an ACL strain. He was sent back on after it was found to be intact, only for an MRI to reveal an ACL sprain.

Gibcus, after extensive consultation with external sports doctors and surgeons, will wear a brace for the next six weeks before undergoing surgery to stabilise his knee. The injury does not require a full knee reconstruction but will rule him out for six months, wiping out his season. He signed a three-year contract extension in March, which will keep him at Punt Road until the end of 2029.

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“We are so disappointed that Josh has suffered this latest setback after working so hard to get back on the field,” Richmond’s executive general manager of football performance, Tim Livingstone, said.

“Josh has tremendous drive, determination, and resilience. We know he will attack his rehab diligently and give it his all, and we are looking forward to seeing him back on the field for the start of the pre-season.

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“As a club, we are throwing our arms around Josh and fully supporting him through his rehab and recovery.”

Winless in seven games this year after just five wins last season, the Tigers are at rock bottom in their extensive rebuild.

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There are few silver linings for the club, who, due to injuries, are being stymied from selling hope to their fans because of their inability to regularly field their prized recent draft picks.

Young gun Josh Smillie, pick seven in 2024, is yet to make his AFL debut due to repeated soft-tissue injuries, the latest coming this week when he re-tore his quad while kicking lightly at training.

There is no timeline yet on when Taj Hotton and Tom Sims, picks 12 and 28 two years ago, will return from respective stress injuries to their hip and foot.

Lalor, the No.1 pick from 2024, has played just 18 of a possible 30 games. The Tigers do yet know how much football he will miss.

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More:

AFL 2026

Richmond Tigers

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Andrew Wu writes on cricket and AFL for The Age.Connect via X or email.

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