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Richmond's injury list is growing again, with important defenders Noah Balta and Nathan Broad both set to undergo surgery to repair syndesmosis injuries.

Richmond defenders Noah Balta and Nathan Broad will both undergo surgery on syndesmosis injuries and face lengthy stints on the sidelines as the club pushes for a third straight AFL premiership.

Nick Vlastuin (corked quad) and Mabior Chol (finger) could also be out of action for Thursday night's clash with Gold Coast, with the Tigers clinging to their spot in the top-eight.

But key forward Tom Lynch (knee) and tall defender David Astbury (Achilles) are both listed as "probable" to return against the Suns in what would be a much-needed boost.

Balta and Broad were both hurt during last Friday night's horror defeat to St Kilda, in which Richmond kicked their lowest score since 1961 - 2.10 (22).

There was initial confusion over Balta's injury, with coach Damien Hardwick revealing fears over a torn ACL before the club confirmed the syndesmosis injury.

"Noah was certain he had done his knee," Richmond physical performance manager Peter Burge said on Monday.

"In the limited time we had to assess him at three-quarter time and then make the decision with the sub, we were thinking it was the knee.

"Further to that, after the game and certainly later that night back at the club, it appeared that it was more his ankle that was the problem, and his knee was not too bad.

"The scans that we did on Sunday showed that there was some bone bruising on his knee, but he had a fairly significant ankle syndesmosis injury which needs surgery and some stabilisation."

Broad played out the game with what was later found to be a "fairly significant" injury.

"It was probably a little bit worse than we thought," Burge said.

"He is having surgery as well; it is the exact same procedure (as Balta's), stabilisation.

"They will both be in a rehab phase starting later this week, and then we will have a better idea on timelines.

"It is hard to put a timeline on it at the moment. It is certainly not a short-term injury."

Vlastuin has a "significant quad cork" and Chol a dislocated little finger, with both listed on the club website as "questionable" for the Gold Coast clash.

Richmond sit eighth on the ladder, level on wins with ninth-placed Fremantle but with a superior percentage.