RICHMOND draftee Daniel Rioli will benefit from the experience of facing a full-strength Fremantle team in his NAB Challenge debut on Friday night, according to assistant coach Brendon Lade.
Rioli is one of seven new draftees who will be blooded against the Dockers, including mature-age recruits Nathan Broad and Adam Marcon, rookies Mabior Chol and Callum Moore, and second-round selection Oleg Markov.
Lade said the Tigers were not daunted by pitting their young players against a Dockers outfit that will include Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe.
"We thought they might play a lot of their good players and to see Fyfe though, it's a good experience for everyone," Lade said as the Tigers flew out on Thursday.
"All the first-year players who got a game, Markov, Chol, Marcon, they're all really excited.
"We're sick of playing against ourselves, so to go up against a quality side in Fremantle over there in Mandurah is going to be great."
Rioli will play primarily forward against Fremantle and could be rotated through the midfield at times, as he has been in match practice this pre-season.
Lade said the coaches would be satisfied as long as the 18-year-old stuck to his role.
"If he gets a couple of touches, a couple of tackles, a couple of shots on goal we'll be happy," Lade said.
"Everyone is probably watching because of the last name, but for him it's about playing his role in the team and I'm sure the rest will take care of itself.
"He's a very level-headed kid, he lives with the coach so he's got to be."
The Tigers made a push at the end of last season to bolster their inside midfield stocks, and will unveil former Greater Western Sydney midfielder Jacob Townsend on Friday night.
The tough ball-winner will pair with second-year midfielder Corey Ellis in a midfield that will be missing Trent Cotchin, Brett Deledio and Dustin Martin.
"We got Townsend in for a reason and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do," Lade said.
"We think he's been holding back a little bit in training against our own players, which is a bit scary.
"Corey Ellis is one who improved over the season and has now had a full pre-season, so we're looking forward to seeing what he can do."
Lade has senior coaching ambitions and will take the reins from Damien Hardwick on Friday night, with the regular coach to work from the boundary.
The former Port Adelaide ruckman, who is entering his seventh season as an assistant coach at Punt Road Oval, wasn't planning any radical surprises.
"Not much changes with the way we play, so I'm not going to go out there and put all our forwards in the backline and our backs in the forward line," he said.
"For me it's more the experience of the whole week … and if I don't like it I probably wont be a senior coach."
