Richo in for surgery

[Browny25]

RICHMOND star Matthew Richardson will have surgery on his knee tomorrow, ruling him out for the rest of the season. The 34-year-old had scans on his injured hamstring yesterday, which revealed no serious damage.

Richardson has been bothered by a sore knee in recent weeks. He has decided have an arthroscope to clean up the knee.

The club confirmed he will have surgery tomorrow.

The Tigers' veteran is out of contract at the end of the season but wants to play on next year.

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Will he get another contract??

[Dirko]

May well spell the end for Richo Man.....

[Mr Beefy]

Gone....

[Browny25]

They should spend their money elsewhere...

Rumour has it cousins will get three times as much next year!

[the joker]

They should spend their money elsewhere...

Rumour has it cousins will get three times as much next year!

he missed a few games with injury and he still may win there Best abd Fairest, and he is only on the base AFL salary at the moment.

[Mr Beefy]

If it is the end of Richo, I hope the tigers and the AFL give him the send off he deserves. He has been one of my faves.

[the joker]

Article By RICHO

THAT'S it – 2009 is over. But roll on 2010.

Cutting to the chase, what I've done is stir up a bit of scar tissue in my hamstring and irritated it a little bit.

The good news is that the repair of the tendon was all intact, so I'm happy I did go off the ground, but frustrated in another way.

I knew on Saturday afternoon that I wasn't warming up the way I would have liked, but why it happened that way I have no idea. I've done a month of training where I warmed up every time, so maybe it was just a sign from the footy gods.

I've always said that anyone is nervous coming back from an injury, but I was looking forward to having a run around. I was disappointed that it didn't work out the way that I would have liked, but I'm also happy that I didn't stay out there and do any further damage. In the end it was a smart decision, and the scans have backed that up.

If I went out and re-ruptured the hamstring and had to have more surgery on it, that would be it. You probably wouldn't come back from that, so I'm glad I haven't damaged it again, and that I did the smart thing and didn't try to push through it.

Given that it would be pointless trying to rush back for one game this year, we just decided to leave it at that, and get fit and healthy for the start of the pre-season.

It's a bit of a mystery why I could get through all the training but not the match. It's just the nature of the beast, the game that we play.

It's just unlucky, really – I didn't even sprint during the 10 minutes I was on the ground, so it was probably just a sign that I need to step back and give it a little bit more time.

I'm obviously extremely disappointed as I was looking forward to playing a couple of games this year, but I'm optimistic and positive about getting myself right now and heading into next season.

I know people around the club are disappointed for me – I'm sure they wanted me to get through the game as much as I did but it wasn't to be.

Seeing as this season is over, I'm having an arthroscope on my knee tomorrow – that was always part of the plan at the end of the year. It's just a minor procedure, so I'm going to take the opportunity to get that done straightaway so I give myself plenty of time to be right for the pre-season.

I've spoken to Crag Cameron, the general manager of football, about next year, but nobody's in a position to be making any big statements at this stage. I'll just get this right and get myself up and going with the view to playing on next year.

[CoverKing]

IMO i think if Richo wants to play next year and feels he will be able to, then he deserves to be given that chance by our club. He has been our best player for the last 12 years or so. Not many players in the history of the game can say he has been the best player of one club for that period of time.
What he has done for the club he deserves to go out on his terms. However if next year he is injured again and cant go on, then he will have to go out on bad terms with another injury.
I just feel Richmond will give him and Cousins another contract each, Simmonds,Bowden and Johnson will all go (obviously kane has gone already) and Browny is a near certain to go again at richmond IMO.
Richo deserves to go again.

I really hope this isnt the end, as he is my favourite player and by the sound of the crowd at the chas awards last year, he is very well liked and respected by everyone in the AFL industry.

Cmon richmond sign him up now!

[Pag]

IMO i think if Richo wants to play next year and feels he will be able to, then he deserves to be given that chance by our club. He has been our best player for the last 12 years or so. Not many players in the history of the game can say he has been the best player of one club for that period of time.
What he has done for the club he deserves to go out on his terms. However if next year he is injured again and cant go on, then he will have to go out on bad terms with another injury.
I just feel Richmond will give him and Cousins another contract each, Simmonds,Bowden and Johnson will all go (obviously kane has gone already) and Browny is a near certain to go again at richmond IMO.
Richo deserves to go again.

I really hope this isnt the end, as he is my favourite player and by the sound of the crowd at the chas awards last year, he is very well liked and respected by everyone in the AFL industry.

Cmon richmond sign him up now!

Well said. I think you've just echoed the views of all us Richmond supporters.

I think if we get rid of Johnson, Simmonds, and Bowden (unfortunately, I don't really want to see it happen but the writing is on the wall), plus some twenty-somethings (Pettifer, Raines, Hughes etc), we can afford to keep Brown, Richardson and Cousins.

Richo won't be going anywhere. Rawlings has already stated that if he gets the job Richo will playing, and I think Craig Cameron and the whole footy department want him to go round again.

[CoverKing]

IMO i think if Richo wants to play next year and feels he will be able to, then he deserves to be given that chance by our club. He has been our best player for the last 12 years or so. Not many players in the history of the game can say he has been the best player of one club for that period of time.
What he has done for the club he deserves to go out on his terms. However if next year he is injured again and cant go on, then he will have to go out on bad terms with another injury.
I just feel Richmond will give him and Cousins another contract each, Simmonds,Bowden and Johnson will all go (obviously kane has gone already) and Browny is a near certain to go again at richmond IMO.
Richo deserves to go again.

I really hope this isnt the end, as he is my favourite player and by the sound of the crowd at the chas awards last year, he is very well liked and respected by everyone in the AFL industry.

Cmon richmond sign him up now!

Well said. I think you've just echoed the views of all us Richmond supporters.

I think if we get rid of Johnson, Simmonds, and Bowden (unfortunately, I don't really want to see it happen but the writing is on the wall), plus some twenty-somethings (Pettifer, Raines, Hughes etc), we can afford to keep Brown, Richardson and Cousins.

Richo won't be going anywhere. Rawlings has already stated that if he gets the job Richo will playing, and I think Craig Cameron and the whole footy department want him to go round again.

Yeah iv heard it that Craig Cameron has said that since i wrote my post. Its good to hear. I would for them to sign him up now! Cleve Hughes has potential but will go. Pettifer will go. Andrew Raines is a player who has been screwed over by injury in the last 2 years. But remember he is rathe young, his rookie season was magnificant, and i would keep him for one more year at least. He and an in form and fit (full pre season) mark coughlan will be welcome additions to the midfield that will hopefully have injure free players such as cousins, cotchin, brown and richardson!
There is some optimism, and none more so then Richard Tamblings form. I reckon he will win well be very close, to our best and fairest nearly he has had a super year since he got dropped.

[The Jack]

Typical Richmond club/supporters. Letting emotion get in the way of the right decision. As good as he's been for the last couple of years, there is NO WAY he should be offered a new contract! I think it's fair to say that he won't be part of their next (?) premiership side, so why bother? Especially with the compromised drafts coming up, I can't believe that anyone would entertain the idea of keeping a 34-year old with a dodgy hamstring tendon! And if his brother-in-law Rawlings says that he'll keep him if he gets the job (surprise), that's as good a reason as any for him not to get the job as far as I'm concerned.

[Gingernuts]

Typical Richmond club/supporters. Letting emotion get in the way of the right decision. As good as he's been for the last couple of years, there is NO WAY he should be offered a new contract! I think it's fair to say that he won't be part of their next (?) premiership side, so why bother? Especially with the compromised drafts coming up, I can't believe that anyone would entertain the idea of keeping a 34-year old with a dodgy hamstring tendon! And if his brother-in-law Rawlings says that he'll keep him if he gets the job (surprise), that's as good a reason as any for him not to get the job as far as I'm concerned.

I agree with you there actually Jack - If Richmond are fair dinkum about winning a flag in the next 3-5 years then they need to clean the place out and hand the batton over to their obviously talented youngsters.

Nothing against Richo, he's a bloody legend and a wonderful player. Right up their with Robert Harvey as a bloke you wish could've experienced a flag in their career. Unfortunately though his time is up, he's missed his chance.