Latest news with #DionPrestia
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Richmond positive about injury progress of top draft pick yet to be seen at AFL level
Richmond fans have a timeline for when they could see each of last year's first-round draftees in action, as Josh Smillie makes positive steps towards his recovery. Taken at pick seven in last year's bumper draft haul by the rebuilding Tigers, Smillie's highly anticipated debut has been on delay after he suffered a second hamstring setback of the season. The first tweak hindered Smillie's pre-season and the second postponed his momentum towards game one, leaving fellow draftees, including No.1 pick Sam Lalor, to get their AFL careers going before he could. But Richmond coach Adem Yze provided an encouraging update on Wednesday, clarifying Smillie's 'TBC' on the club's injury list as 'four to six weeks'. 'Ben (Serpell, high performance manager) will give that timeline, but he's (Smillie) travelling really well, he's running,' Yze said. '(Serpell) will obviously talk about that more than I will. but he's (Smillie) not that far away, it could be four to six weeks. 'I think it will be closer to four, which is good. He's progressing nicely, we just wanted to make sure we set a really good plan for him.' Yze said Smillie would undergo another training block to build fitness. Richmond held Smillie to limited minutes in the VFL after his first injury and applied the same process to premiership midfielder Dion Prestia last week. 'There's obviously going to be his return to play from the injury and then the amount of training load,' Yze said. 'We want him to come back and really set himself for that back part of the year, that's the only reason why it's TBC right now. 'It was (the same injury as earlier in the year) but it was minor, he's in the gym to really strengthen it, that's why it might be a little bit longer.' Serpell said Smillie was recovering well but would take all measures necessary to ensure he was 'robust' enough for senior football. 'Smillie is progressing quite well, we want to focus on his development from an athletic perspective,' Serpell said. 'The hamstring itself is looking quite good, but we want to make sure that he is ready to play senior football as soon as possible and make sure he is robust for that.' Taj Hotton (Pick No.12) and Smillie are the only two first-round picks the Tigers' supporters are yet to get a glimpse of. But Hotton is set to join training and build towards playing in coming weeks. 'We expect to see (Hotton and Josh Gibcus) out training in the next few weeks without a non-contact hat on,' Serpell said. 'About four or so weeks of that and we can expect to see them out playing again.'
News.com.au
22-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Richmond star Dion Prestia will make his long-awaited return this weekend
Richmond premiership star Dion Prestia will make his long-awaited return from injury through the VFL this weekend. Prestia, yet to play a game in 2025, had been hindered by yet another soft-tissue setback. He has acted as an assistant coach to the young Tigers this year, in particular Sam Lalor and Josh Smillie, but will pull the boots on himself this Saturday night. Richmond coach Adem Yze admits there was a temptation to rush Prestia back into the AFL team, but he wants to learn from the lessons of last season. 'There always is with the talent he's got and the leadership he provides,' Yze said. 'It's a funny one, when you lose (Tom) Lynchy and (Noah) Balta goes out, well maybe we do (bring him back) but we can't break that (plan). 'His season last year, you could see how important he was when he come in and we probably did it the wrong way and he missed six weeks. 'We've got to learn from that, be really clear and consistent with the plan we've done and he'll go play on Saturday night in Frankston and help our younger boys. 'If he gets through, he'll be available the week after. We're playing the long game with him as well.' Prestia will play a half of footy over the first three quarters in Richmond's match against Essendon at Frankston Park on Saturday night. Richmond's injury list is slowly shrinking with the exception of top draftees Smillie and Harry Armstrong. Armstrong, mending a hamstring, took strides in his recovery on Thursday morning when he got the footy back in his hands. Yze says the time off is somewhat of a gift to the promising goalkicker as it allows him to spend further time in the gym. 'I think if you ask him he would say he's flying and he is,' he said. 'He's getting a big training block in, I think he's five or six weeks away from playing which is a real positive. 'He'll get some footy later in the year and he's had the opportunity right now, his body is filled in, so we'll take that blessing in the time he's going to have out. 'He can hit the gym and put a few kilos on and he's done that … it was nice to see him out there kicking a few footys around today.'
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Richmond coach Adem Yze on the returning Dion Prestia and Mykelti Lefau
Richmond will consider easing premiership midfielder Dion Prestia through the VFL as he slowly returns from another soft-tissue setback. Prestia, 32, is yet to play a game this season due to a troubling achilles injury he sustained during the pre-season. The three-time premiership Tiger's delayed start to the season follows an injury-plagued 2024. Richmond coach Adem Yze says it will take an extra caution with Prestia after paying the ultimate price for rushing him back last year. 'We'll have that discussion now that he's getting closer to playing, (VFL) probably will be the plan, he will hate me saying it,' Yze said. 'With our fitness staff and our high-performance team, we've got to be really cautious with what happened last year. 'I don't think he played any VFL games last year and we got the result we got, if it means he needs half a game at VFL level well then we'll do that. 'We need a fit Dion at AFL level and we've got to be really mindful that he's such an important player and such a great leader for us out there. 'When he comes back we want him out there for the rest of the season, not just in and out, we'll make that decision in the next couple of weeks.' Prestia is between one and three weeks away while forward Mykelti Lefau is available to play his first game since tearing his ACL last year. Lefau, who was among a handful of Tigers recovering from ACL injuries, will play a half in the VFL on Sunday. 'He'll play half a game in VFL, which is so exciting and I think the next three or four weeks we've got a few boys coming back,' Yze said. 'Tylar Young is due to play half a game the following week, Mate Colina and a few of our older boys, Samson Ryan, obviously Dion. 'The next three or four weeks we're going to start filtering some of the boys from rehab into the VFL program which is awesome. 'Our fitness staff are doing an amazing job, I think we've got 40 odd players training today which is exactly what we want as a footy club.' Richmond has an opportunity to secure back-to-back wins for the first time since Round 18 and 19 in 2023 when it faces North Melbourne on Sunday. Yze says the Tigers aren't looking at the value of successive wins and are instead focusing on how they can produce a consistent, four-quarter performance. 'I think any win is obviously important, back-to-back wins you're thinking about the result not the process,' he said. 'If we end up playing well enough and get another win, that's great, we'll tick that box but as a collective coaching staff and playing group we want to play consistent footy. 'Even on the weekend we didn't play four quarters of footy and the middle part of the game wasn't good enough, we're striving for consistency. 'Whether that provides wins, that's great.'
7NEWS
14-05-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Richmond move to shut down Dion Prestia mid-season retirement rumour
Richmond have shut down any suggestion injury-plagued midfielder Dion Prestia is considering a mid-season AFL retirement. Rumours around the three-time premiership player's future have been swirling as he continues to recover from an Achilles injury. It's the latest in a long list of setbacks which have dogged the 32-year-old, who has battled injury consistently throughout his 15-year career. But the Tigers are adamant Prestia will be back this year and has no intentions of hanging the boots up. 'I contacted the club today because there have been rumours swirling — maybe just social media — that Dion Prestia might quit, resign, retire, mid-season and leave a list spot (open) for the club,' Wilson said on Tuesday night's episode of The Agenda Setters. 'Richmond deny that, say Dion Prestia is pushing, pushing, pushing and is hoping to play potentially even in two weeks, but definitely within four weeks. 'So, I can only believe what I hear and that is what the Tigers are saying.' Stream full episodes of The Agenda Setters for free, live or on-demand, at 7plus As he recovers from the injury, Prestia remains under investigation over an alleged 2am brawl, with Victoria Police back-pedalling on an initial statement saying they are expected to be charged. 7NEWS chief AFL reporter MItch Cleary reported the former Gold Coast Suns teammates were celebrating a bucks party at Sorrento's Continental Hotel on Boxing Day but denied being involved in a fight that later broke out on nearby streets. Two men were taken to hospital after an incident in Sorrento in the early hours of December 27. An investigation ramped up in the past three weeks, with May, Prestia and a 26-year-old man interviewed by police. Police on earlier this month morning said the trio were expected to be charged on summons before later updating their statement. 'Our previous statement advised that the three men were expected to be charged on summons – we have now revised our statement to say they were released pending further enquiries only,' they said on Monday afternoon. 'Mornington Peninsula Crime Investigation Unit detectives have interviewed three men as part of their investigation into an affray in Sorrento on 27 December last year. 'The interviews follow a report to police about a physical altercation between two groups of men on Point Nepean Road about 2am. 'Two men were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries at the time. 'A 32-year-old man from Hawthorn, a 33-year-old man from Mount Eliza and a 26-year-old Blairgowrie man were all interviewed and released pending further enquiries. 'The investigation remains ongoing.'
Sydney Morning Herald
05-05-2025
- Sydney Morning Herald
Police walk back charges were expected to be laid on AFL players
National AFL stars Steven May and Dion Prestia have been interviewed and released pending further inquiries over a Boxing Day brawl on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula that left two in hospital. Loading
