Injury-plagued Richmond star Dion Prestia will miss the start of the AFL season after an achilles tendon issue flared up at training.
Prestia has a long injury history and managed just 13 games last season because of a series of soft-tissue setbacks.
The 32-year-old, a three-time premiership player, has no firm timeline on his recovery.
But he will miss the Tigers’ season opener against Carlton on March 13.
“Unfortunately, Dion has an achilles issue that will require a rehabilitation phase over the coming weeks,” Richmond high performance manager Ben Serpell said.
“Dion has completed a solid amount of work across the pre-season up to this point and got himself into excellent condition.
“However, we will now need to take some time to focus on getting his achilles right, which will likely rule him out for the early rounds of the season.”
Richmond took the wooden spoon last year and face a difficult start to coach Adem Yze’s second season at the helm.
They take on 2024 finalists Carlton, Port Adelaide and the Brisbane Lions – as well as St Kilda – in the opening month of the campaign.