Latest news with #MykeltiLefau
7NEWS
30-06-2025
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Richmond forward Mykelti Lefau set to miss up to six weeks in ‘cruel' blow
Richmond have been dealt a cruel blow with much-loved forward Mykelti Lefau set for another stint on the sidelines. Lefau returned to the senior side for Sunday's clash against Adelaide after missing 12 months with an ACL tear. It was his first AFL match in 393 days. But disaster struck in the second quarter when he was subbed out with a calf injury. Scans have since confirmed he will be out for 4-6 weeks, as revealed by 7NEWS reporter Xander McGuire. Coach Adem Yze said the blow played a big part in the Tigers' 68-point loss to Adelaide. 'Mykelti going out of the game is almost the perfect storm. We lost a guy that's going to give us a contest forward of the ball, we then had to move Noah (Balta) forward, which I thought he did really well,' Yze said. 'It was really disappointing, not only for today, but for the body of work (Lefau's) put in over the last month to put himself in a position to pretty much get straight back in. 'It showed how important he is to us in that aerial battle, when he did go out of the game. We did miss him.' Lefau was playing his first senior game since rupturing his ACL against Geelong in Round 12 last year. The New Zealander joined the Tigers as a pre-season rookie selection in 2024 and made his senior debut a month later. He immediately impressed with his physicality and willingness to contest. Lefau kicked 14 goals in 10 games before going down the serious knee injury. With eight rounds left in the season, there remains hope the 27-year-old will return to the field. Richmond face another tough test this week with a daunting trip down the highway to take on Geelong. And they will be without spearhead Tom Lynch, who is facing a suspension for his high shot on Jordon Butts. 'We'll be looking always to the future, but at the same time, right now we expect to put on a performance that our Tiger Army are proud of. The last couple of weeks, that hasn't been the case. We need to address that, train hard, go down to Geelong and do what we need to do,' he said. 'The spirit is going to get dented when we feel like we're playing the right way and our execution at our front end is not as good as theirs. That's OK, we can work on that, we can train that and build into that. 'I'd be more worried if our spirit, our energy and our system went out of whack and our players didn't look like they cared. That's something we won't tolerate.'
ABC News
29-06-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Tom Lynch facing AFL suspension after striking Crows' Jordan Butts in Tigers' loss
Richmond's Tom Lynch has shown remorse as he faces a suspension following an incident in Sunday's 68-point loss to the Adelaide Crows at the MCG. Lynch was reported for striking Crows defender Jordan Butts off the ball following a contest between the pair. The dual Tigers premiership player threw his right hand towards his opponent, making contact with Butts's head. Fortunately for both players, Lynch failed to connect completely, ensuring the blow was minor. Crows players remonstrated with Lynch near Richmond's half-forward flank, with the 32-year-old reported by umpires on the spot. Lynch will learn his fate from the match review officer on Monday. "I was just more frustrated with how he was defending me, I thought," Lynch told the Seven Network after the match. "Clearly it [Butts's actions] was within the rules because there were no free kicks awarded to me and I went outside the rules. "I've got to be better." Lynch said he apologised to his teammates at half-time, admitting his behaviour was "not good enough as a leader". Tigers coach Adem Yze defended Lynch, describing the incident as an example of his "white-line fever". "He's such a big man, and they do scrag him, and he's feeling like he's getting held," Yze said of Lynch. In a further blow for the Tigers, forward Mykelti Lefau injured his calf in his first match back since rupturing his ACL last year. The loss to the Crows has the Tigers placed 17th on the ladder. The Crows hold down third place after round 15. AAP/ABC
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.'
