Richmond is set to see out the remainder of the season minus one of its young stars, with Rising Star smokie Sam Lalor set to go under the knife to repair a hamstring injury.
The promising 18-year-old reinjured the same hamstring in a tackle three weeks ago in a loss to Geelong, and the call has now been made for the former No. 1 overall pick to undergo season-ending surgery.
“We consulted a few surgeons for Sammy’s case, and there is a fairly strong consensus that surgery was required for him,” Ben Serpell, the Tigers’ performance boss told CODE Sports.
The nagging hamstring injury is Lalor’s third, but the decision to opt for surgery with five weeks remaining gives Lalor the chance to recover in time for next year’s preseason.
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“After three injuries to the same side over the last 12 months, it was clear that it was unlikely that hamstring was going to heal in that spot,” Serpell went on to say.
“He will undergo surgery this week and will look forward to hopefully having a quick recovery and get most of pre-season done.”
The news comes as a serious blow for the Tigers, who went without Lalor for a four-week stretch before the game against the Cats, and again last week in the low-scoring win over the Bombers.
Averaging 12 touches a game, Lalor was considered a genuine Rising Star candidate after bursting onto the scene with a pair of goals in the upset win over Carlton in Round 1, strengthening his claims even further a few weeks later with a career-high 24 disposals against Brisbane.
Fellow youngster Luke Trainor earned a Rising Star nomination last week with 16 disposals and four score involvements on debut against the Bombers.