The Tigers have been good lately, but there's no doubt they've copped a fair bit this week from the media, so they'll have a fair bit to play for on Friday night. It will be a tough contest. We've just got to make sure we prepare the best we can and be ready for the arm-wrestle that will go on for four quarters.
I don't think the Tigers deserve the criticism they've received recently. They've played pretty well. The first week they were in front by four goals at one stage against Carlton and last week they pushed the Swans right to the line – they actually got in front in the third quarter.
They're in good nick and it will take a good side to beat them. Their kids are coming on really well. Last Saturday's match will give them confidence, as the Swans played in the Grand Final last year and are a good outfit. They played decent footy and for Richmond to go so close, even though they made some errors at crucial times, will definitely give them some confidence.
Against the Swans last week, they rotated through the midfield and their small forwards came up the ground and then worked back. They're a hard-working unit up forward and they haven't had a couple of ruckmen for the past couple of weeks, so they're fleet-footed.
They went in hard – I think they won more of the hardball. A few mistakes with their skills cost them on the scoreboard.
Individually, "Richo" is their beacon in the forward line – he's the guy they look for. If he has a big game, it takes a lot of pressure off their smaller forwards. Jay Schulz has been kicking a few goals each game – he's another forward you can't take your eyes off.
There's a couple of Richmond’s players who traditionally play well against us, like Shane Tuck. Tuck has done well through the midfield against us before and so has Greg Tivendale. I'm not sure about up forward, but Nathan Brown has done very well against us, even though we don't know if he'll play or not. You always keep your options open, as they can pull a surprise on you, but we don't think he'll play.
Last time we met, in the practice match earlier this year, it was tight all game. It was a hot afternoon and basically it was a lot of run and carry. They won by a goal, so there wasn't a lot in it and the sides are still pretty evenly matched.
We've drawn a few things out of that practice match. We think we need to use the ball better and get our run up through the midfield.
What has worked for us well in the past against the Tigers is making sure we get first use of the ball. I think if we can get our hands on it first, we've got big Anthony Rocca and Travis Cloke in our forward line.
It's a short turnaround from the Eagles match for us and we've got to make sure we do those little extras with re-hydration, recovery and a few extra massages during the week. We won't have a solid week – it will be more about freshening up the players so they're ready to go.
We flew back on the red-eye on Saturday night and recovery was on Monday. We trained on Tuesday and the boys have Wednesday off. The players are so professional these days, that as long as you get a six-day turnaround – if it was shorter, it would be extremely hard – it's OK. West Coast and Fremantle do it every second week.
As long as you put the time into making sure the boxes are ticked, the body can come up.
It was a physical game against the Eagles. We probably played three quarters and matched them, but in the last quarter, we ran out of pressure skills. They got us in the last quarter and maybe they could have kicked a couple more goals, but we matched them early and were in front at times – we just couldn't get away.
There is a slight ‘Subi’ factor, in that it's a longer ground, 10m longer than the MCG, but in a way, it's a benefit playing over there. You've got to work harder and it's still early in the season, so hopefully it will put a bit more fuel in the tank for the guys.
All up, though, it will be a good contest this weekend, on the big stage.
