RICHMOND could be forced to make a change to their side which beat Essendon last week, with vice-captain Brett Deledio pulling up with a tight calf during the Tigers’ 19-point win over the Bombers.

Deledio did not take any further part in the match after half time, and sat on the bench with ice on his leg.

Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said they would not take any chances with Deledio given his history of soft tissue injuries.

“He just pulled up tight at the half time break and we just wrapped him up,” Hardwick said.

“It was only tightness, there was no incident as such, so we hope it’s okay… he’s a really valuable player for us and we’re not going to take any risks with Brett at this juncture.”

Reece Conca could be in line for a recall to the senior team should Deledio be ruled out, after being omitted from the side before the game against Essendon.

Meanwhile Dustin Martin enhanced his Brownlow Medal chances with a career-high 43 possessions against the Bombers.

Martin also recorded 14 clearances, six inside 50s, 22 contested possessions and two crucial goals as the Tigers scrapped home against a plucky Essendon side.

Ben Griffiths and Sam Lloyd were impressive up forward for the Tigers, booting six goals between them as Richmond now look to develop some of their younger players at AFL level.

Connor Menadue, Daniel Rioli and Oleg Markov lead a brigade of young Tigers who have shown some promising signs in recent weeks, as the Tigers persist with developing their next crop of players.