Sydney Stack has reached out to Richmond captain Trent Cotchin as the troubled Tiger attempts to turn his life - and AFL career - around after his latest off-field indiscretion.
The young gun spent Christmas behind bars, and in January pleaded guilty to breaching Western Australia's strict COVID-19 quarantine laws.
But with the 20-year-old not facing sentencing until March 25 - a week after Richmond take on Carlton in round one - his future remains clouded.
Cotchin believes Stack still has plenty to give at Punt Rd but is unsure when the youngster will return.
"Stacky's fundamentally an incredible person. He's had a couple of mishaps but he's young, he's still learning," the three-time premiership captain said.
"He reached out last week to have a conversation about a few little things that he can change which we will tee up in the next week and make sure he's in the best place he can be once he returns to the club."
The December 19 incident in Perth's party district of Northbridge capped a torrid 2020 for Stack.
Stack and Tigers teammate Callum Coleman-Jones had previously broken the AFL's COVID-19 protocols during a night out at a Gold Coast strip club last September.
The pair were infamously involved in a fight outside a kebab shop in the early hours of the morning.
Stack was subsequently handed a 10-match AFL ban and sent home from Queensland in disgrace.
Richmond were fined $100,000 by the AFL for the incident, which is due to be included in the Tigers' soft cap this year.
The club have promised to support Stack, who has played 26 games and is out of contract at the end of the season, through his latest troubles.
