Collingwood recalled run-with midfielder Levi Greenwood for a likely assignment on Richmond star Dustin Martin in Thursday's AFL blockbuster.
Greenwood was left out of the Magpies' round-one loss to Geelong and he comes in for Callum Brown.
Coach Nathan Buckley said after last week's loss to Geelong that he wanted more grunt from their star-studded midfield.
Already reeling from the loss of star defender Alex Rance for the season with a knee reconstruction, Richmond will also be without fellow backman Bachar Houli.
The half-back is sidelined with a hamstring injury, but the Tigers hope Houli will only miss a week.
While Noah Balta could be a long-term option to fill in for Rance, they dropped him after last week's debut.
Richmond recalled Jason Castagna, Brandon Ellis and Oleg Markov, who plays his first senior game since 2017.
Second-year player Ryan Garthwaite is another potential replacement for Rance, but Hardwick said on Thursday that he is not ready for an AFL recall after overcoming an Achilles problem.
While Buckley wants more from the midfielders he backed star ruckman Brodie Grundy, who was below his best in the Cats loss.
"It was just one game of footy and he'll respond," Buckley said.
Meanwhile, West Coast premiership forward Willie Rioli remains sidelined with a foot injury and it is unclear when he will return.
After 24 games in his debut season, Rioli missed the Eagles' season-opening loss to Brisbane.
West Coast football boss Craig Vozzo said they are awaiting the results of a scan before making the call on when Rioli might return.
Eagles spearhead Josh Kennedy is set to return for his 200th game when they unfurl the premiership flag before Saturday night's home clash with GWS.
The Giants, fresh from their 72-point belting of Essendon, could regain star onballer Josh Kelly.
