Forgotten Tiger Could Return To Footy This Year

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Forgotten Richmond forward Ben Griffiths could return to footy this year.

Griffiths has been out indefinitely for the Tigers, battling an issue with concussion.

Richmond assistant coach Justin Leppitsch said the club was hopeful he would return to footy later this season.

Leppitsch confirmed Griffiths was back doing some training, and hoped he could return to play this year.

"Yeah, I think so," he told Triple M.

"He's back training now and taking some sort of knocks - obviously not to the head, but to the side and things like that.

"So he's building his confidence in that area. 

"It's obviously such an unknown, isn't it, concussion and what happens inside the brain? So we're obviously very mindful of his health as well."

Leppitsch hopes Griffiths can still forge out a career at AFL level, but admits there is an unknown about concussion.

"I don't know the answer, but I obviously had a situation with Justin Clarke last year when I was at Brisbane, it was a really sad time," he said.

"To watch a boy at the age of 21 lose his career, that was a really hard thing to handle.

"I think we all hope that it doesn't (end his career), but I don't think we can categorically say either. There's so much unknown with the injury."