AFL Cats set to recall veteran Riccardi - Sports News - Fanatics - the world's biggest events

AFL Cats set to recall veteran Riccardi

By Mark Heenan 03/05/2006 08:48:43 PM Comments (0)

Geelong is poised to recall 282-game AFL veteran Peter Riccardi for Friday night's clash against Melbourne at the MCG.

Cats coach Mark Thompson indicated Riccardi, 33, would replace Brent Prismall who broke his arm during Geelong's 22-point loss to Sydney at Telstra Stadium last Saturday.

Prismall collided with teammate David Wojcinski and has undergone surgery to insert a plate into his left forearm and will be sidelined for two months.

"Peter is a very good player for us, he'll come back in," Thompson said.

"He's just going to add enormous leadership and we really have been lacking that.

"He (Riccardi) really dominated (in the VFL) and looked like a really classy player. So I'm glad he's back playing."

Riccardi played his first match this season in the VFL last weekend after recovering from a hamstring injury.

"He's a bit of a waste playing in the VFL," Thompson said of Riccardi, who made his debut against West Coast in round four, 1992.

Thompson believed Riccardi deserved the opportunity to reach the 300-game milestone in what looms as his final AFL season.

Meanwhile, spearhead forward Kent Kingsley (hamstring) and Henry Playfair (shoulder) remain in the mix for selection as the Cats attempt to snap a three-game losing streak.

Kingsley trained at Skilled Stadium but appeared to twinge his hamstring during the session.

Enigmatic forward Steve Johnson and dynamic on-baller Shannon Byrnes are also pushing for a recall, while key defender Tom Harley (knee) and Paul Koulouriotis (thigh) will resume via the VFL.

Brought to you by AAP AAP © 2024 AAP

0 Comments about this article

Post a comment about this article

Please sign in to leave a comment.
Becoming a member is free and easy, sign up here.

« All sports news