UPDATE: Three top Tigers are in the mix at selection this week

Three senior players are anticipated to be added to Richmond’s roster for their matchup with the Western Bulldogs on Saturday.

Throughout the first nine weeks of the season, the Tigers have suffered numerous setbacks; in the team’s defeat to Fremantle last week, they lost nearly 1,000 games of experience.

For the game, coach Adem Yze had the option to bring up Noah Balta and Dion Prestia, but he chose to be cautious since both players were trying to make their way back from hamstring and knee ailments, respectively.

Assuming all three players get through Thursday’s main session, the Tigers are set to welcome back both the Prestia, Balta and hamstrung onballer Jack Graham for this weekend’s game at the MCG.

“We’ve got our main training session today. We’ve got a few boys a little bit sore from the game but then there are obviously the guys that have the possibility of coming in,” Yze said.

“Noah, Dion and Jack Graham. If they get through training today they’ll put their hand up for selection.

“Dion has been ready for a week and a half. Noah trained the house down last week and there was a possibility that we could have picked him. We’ve taken the safer approach by giving them an extra week of training.

“Jack just had a tight tight hammy last week, so he if he gets through today he’s only had a week out.”

Balta is likely to be deployed in an attacking role after missing the past four matches, leaving Yze to call on mature-aged recruit Mykelti Lefau and Jacob Koschitzke to take on the tall forward workload in his absence.

The Tigers have struggled at both ends of the field this season, but Balta, as a key position swingman, can alleviate either area of the field.

But the Tigers will stick with Balta as a tall forward target, with Yze needing bigger threats forward of the ball given spearhead Tom Lynch is current sidelined with his own hamstring injury.

“He’s trained forward he was in really good form as a forward so I don’t see any reason why we’ll change that,” Yze said of Balta.

“He can he can assist in the ruck if we need. Hopefully he gets through training today. That’ll be a nice little focal point for us forward of the ball.”

The Tigers will host the Western Bulldogs at the MCG on Saturday at 7:30pm (AEST) as they chase their second win of 2024.