THOUSANDS of Richmond fans have packed Punt Road to watch their team train one last time before Saturday's Grand Final.
MATCH PREVIEW Tigers v Giants
Skipper Trent Cotchin and midfielder Dion Prestia didn't stay out on the track for the final goalkicking session, but trained strongly in the time they were out there.
Shock debutant Marlion Pickett was a fan favourite, the mid-season rookie named to play his first AFL game on the biggest stage of all, replacing the injured Jack Graham.
Dustin Martin was the centre of attention at Tigers training on Friday. Picture: AFL Photos
The crowd reserved a special cheer for Pickett, who was one of the last onto the track.
Emergencies Jack Ross, Ryan Garthwaite, Kamdyn McIntosh and Sydney Stack all trained, Stack leaving the field with an arm around Pickett, a fellow late addition to the club.
Marlion Pickett leaves the track with Sydney Stack on Friday. Picture: AFL Photos
Ross – the first-year player pulled from last Sunday's VFL premiership win as a precautionary basis, who has now also potentially missed out on an AFL flag – also received a special acknowledgement from the crowd as he left.
The mood on the track itself was upbeat, Ivan Soldo at one point pretending to be hit in the chest after taking a Shane Edwards handball.
In what could be his last training session with Richmond, out-of-contract Brandon Ellis led the way, running strongly and covering the ground well.
Tiger fans at Punt Road Oval on Friday. Picture: Getty Images
The song was sung five minutes into training, with "yellow and black" ringing out from the hill on the Brunton Avenue side of the oval.
As for the session itself, the Tigers kept things relatively light and simple: a warm-up, a variation on the classic "five-star" kicking drill, handball keepings-off, a full-ground run-through and goalkicking to finish.
The Jack Dyer stand was packed with yellow and black, with more than a few sporting haircuts in the style of their hero, Dustin Martin.
Radio and television journalists did live crosses from the ground, as club president Peggy O'Neal and CEO Brendon Gale watched on.
