It\u2019s a brutal blow for Richmond and its young gun.<\/p>\n
Taj Hotton will be sidelined for up to four months after scans revealed bone stress in his hip.<\/p>\n
Hotton was one of the positives for the Tigers in their match simulation against Essendon on Friday but pulled up sore.<\/p>\n
It comes after Hotton missed the first half of last season recovering from an ACL rupture he sustained in his draft season.<\/p>\n
Hotton was poised to challenge for the No.1 pick prior to his injury and was widely perceived as a steal for the Tigers at pick 12 in the 2024 super draft.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaj will begin modified weight bearing across the next 10 days to two weeks, before starting a slow progression back into running,\u201d Richmond high performance manager Ben Serpell said<\/p>\n
\u201cWe anticipate that it will be approximately six to eight weeks before he is back running and possibly four months before he is available for selection.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaj has done some really strong conditioning over both the off-season and the pre-season, and we were really pleased with how he was placed for this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know his professionalism will continue across this rehabilitation phase, and we will support him through that.\u201d<\/p>\n
At Arden St, North Melbourne has been presented a setback of its own.<\/p>\n
George Wardlaw has been ruled out for three to four weeks after he went down with a hamstring during match simulation last week.<\/p>\n
Despite the hard-nosed midfielder missing the start of the season, the Roos are confident he will be back in the frame in a month.<\/p>\n
\u201cScans confirmed a low-grade strain similar to the previous injury in the same area,\u201d North Melbourne head of performance Kevin White said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has presented really well today and will look to return to play in the next 3-4 weeks.\u201d<\/p>\n