Deledio, who turns 28 in a fortnight, has trained substantially less over the summer then he has in previous seasons as he deals with an ongoing Achilles issue. The problem caused the star utility to miss a month of football early last year, ending a consecutive games streak which dated back to 2007.

However Deledio said he felt confident that with careful tinkering, his body could withstand the rigours of an AFL campaign.

"I"ll certainly train less. It will depend on how my body is feeling week to week but I don't intend on missing any games," Deledio said ahead of Richmond's season opener against Carlton at the MCG on Thursday night.

"I certainly would like to play them all. Our fitness staff and medical staff have been really good for me, held me back at the right times and just put a plan in place to make sure that I can not only get through this pre-season, but play on for many years to come."

Deledio explained he had been dealing with the Achilles problem for about three or four years.

"It just rears its head every so often. Without proper management and getting the strength work into my calves and Achilles, I think I'd battle a little bit."

Deledio said he would mainly play forward this year, but would be rotating plenty through the midfield, and could even still push onto a wing or to half-back if need be. He quipped that the only position he didn't feel comfortable playing was the ruck.

The vice-captain was glad the club was returning to kick-off premiership season proceedings after a one-year hiatus.

"It's a big game. We're lucky you're at the Tiges that our supporters come out rain, hail or shine, and we get to play in some pretty big games. Back to where we belong, round one MCG, versus Carlton."

Most of the Richmond list trained strongly at Punt Road on Tuesday, with only a handful of players visibly restricted in what they could do. Midfielder Rhys Conca (soreness), tall defender David Astbury (foot) and ruckman Shaun Hampson (ankle) headlined those working away from the main group. Conca is expected to play, but Astbury is a few weeks away after his freak stingray attack. Likewise Hampson will sit out after hurting himself in last week's VFL practice match against Collingwood. Matt Dea (hamstring) and Nathan Foley (foot) will also not be considered.

Deledio added that mature-age recruit Kane Lambert had done everything he could to win a spot against the Blues.