RICHMOND youngster Noah Cumberland will miss the entire 2020 season after rupturing the ACL in his left knee at training on Thursday.
Cumberland suffered the injury during a routine training drill with scans later confirming he’ll require a knee reconstruction.
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The club will decide on his rehabilitation over the next few days.
“We’re all incredibly disappointed for Noah, he returned to the club in great condition, and was training very well before his injury occurred,” Richmond’s general manager of football Tim Livingstone said.
“Noah is a promising young player, and we believe he has a bright future in the AFL. We will all support him on his road to recovery.”
The 19-year-old was selected with pick No.43 in the 2019 NAB AFL Draft after Brisbane elected not to match Richmond’s bid on the Lions Academy player.
The Tigers are otherwise looking very healthy heading towards round two, with veteran Bachar Houli (calf) the only other player not in full training.
Meanwhile, the club has been buoyed by the loyalty of members in tough financial circumstances during the coronavirus pandemic.
Like most AFL clubs, the Tigers this month communicated a range of options to their huge membership base, including offering members the right to a full refund.
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It comes in a year when supporters are unlikely to attend matches live, at least for the foreseeable future, because of COVID-19 restrictions put in place by state governments.
As of Thursday, the Tigers said “very few” members had requested a full refund and the “vast majority” had committed to retaining their existing memberships.
Richmond supporters have even continued to purchase club memberships in recent weeks – taking the overall tally for 2020 to 97,255.
That number is only slightly down on the Tigers’ end-of-year record total of 103,358 members last year.
Richmond chief executive Brendon Gale said supporters’ loyalty would help give the club every chance of coming out of the pandemic in a strong position on and off the field.
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“The support from our members has been amazing,” Gale said.
“They’ve shown us once again how committed they are to their club.
“They have been the foundation of our recent success and are our greatest opportunity to come out of this period in a position of strength.
“We know that a lot of people are doing it tough right now, so we appreciate their support, and we know they’re as excited as us for football to start again.”
