Brandon Ellis' streak of 111 consecutive AFL games has come to an end and it was Richmond coach Damien Hardwick, not injury, responsible for snapping the premiership Tiger's run.
Rubbing salt in the wounds for Ellis is the fact he will miss an AFL blockbuster against in-form Collingwood at the MCG on Sunday.
In a sign of the intense pressure for spots in Hardwick's best 22, Ellis, Sam Lloyd and Jacob Townsend made way for premiership trio Nick Vlastuin (calf), Josh Caddy (hamstring) and Jack Graham (suspension).
Vlastuin will play his 100th AFL match after he was the ninth overall pick at the 2012 draft.
Instant cult hero Jack Higgins kept his spot after kicking three goals in Richmond's Anzac Day eve win over Melbourne.
Ellis' omission leaves Geelong's Zach Tuohy (120) with the longest ongoing streak of games after former North Melbourne midfielder Sam Gibson's run ended at 130 when he was a late withdrawal for Adelaide in round one.
Sunday's encounter is being touted as the first genuine blockbuster between the two traditional power clubs in a long time.
The Tigers (4-1) sit atop the ladder for the first time in the regular season since 1995 while the Pies (3-2) are fifth after their resounding Anzac Day win over Essendon.
"I think ladder positions are irrelevant for these sort of games," Hardwick told reporters on Friday.
"Although ladder position would say they haven't been blockbusters I think they've always been really close.
"Every year it's a formidable contest. They're a fantastic side and the way they're playing, they're a really form side in the competition."
The Pies made two changes to the side that defeated Essendon on Anzac Day.
Forgotten forward Chris Mayne is in for his first game since round three last season and Jarryd Blair has also earned a call-up, with Travis Varcoe and Ben Crocker rested.
The Tigers are in a good spot, Hardwick hailing the 46-point win over the Demons as his side's most complete of the season.
"We're going really well in some areas but there are other areas where we'd like to improve and we're working on that," he said.
