SUMMARY
The fairytale team of this year's finals takes on the game's most talented list in what shapes as an intriguing battles of defence and offence. If defence wins premierships, Richmond is in the box seat to reach a historic Grand Final. But the hard run and slick attack of GWS can never be discounted and it travels to the MCG with experience in a preliminary final after last year's loss to the Western Bulldogs. The Tigers will go in with just one player (Josh Caddy) who has played this deep into September, but they are battering down hurdles this season and look like a team on a mission. With more than 90,000 fans set to cheer them on, it will take something special from GWS to stop the Tigers' charge.
WHERE AND WHEN: MCG, Saturday September 23, 4.45pm AEST
TV AND RADIO: Click here for broadcast guide
WHAT HAPPENED THIS YEAR?
Round nine: GWS 11.12 (78) d Richmond 10.15 (75) at Spotless Stadium
It was heartbreak for the Tigers, who lost their third straight match by less than a goal. GWS staged a stunning comeback, with Jeremy Cameron kicking a goal with just over a minute to play. The Tigers had looked like winners moments earlier when debutant Shai Bolton snapped a goal, only to have it overturned on review.
Round 18: Richmond 9.10 (64) d GWS 6.9 (45) at the MCG
The Tigers jumped back into the top four with a 19-point win in the rain at the MCG, coming back from 20 points down at quarter-time. Dustin Martin was the star with 31 possessions (17 contested) and 11 clearances. The rain suited the hard-tackling Tigers, who came into their own in the wet.
LAST FIVE TIMES
R18, 2017, Richmond 9.10 (64) d GWS 6.9 (45) at the MCG
R9, 2017, GWS 11.12 (78) d Richmond 10.15 (75) at Spotless Stadium
R19, 2016, GWS 17.9 (111) d Richmond 3.5 (23) at Manuka Oval
R14, 2015, Richmond 10.18 (78) d GWS 10.9 (69) at the MCG
R19, 2014, Richmond 13.11 (89) d GWS 8.14 (62) at the MCG
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
Richmond
1. Nick Vlastuin is the player Richmond will be attempting to play loose across half-back. He was magnificent against Geelong with 10 intercept possessions and 10 marks, and the Giants will no doubt try to keep him accountable.
2. Crucial in the Tigers' round 18 win was their ability to limit Josh Kelly's effectiveness. The smooth-moving Giant went at 69.6 per cent efficiency with the ball, with the Tigers pressuring him at every chance.
3. Locking the ball inside 50 is the Tigers' best form of defence. Watch for the midfielders to surge the ball forward with deep entries and let the small forwards go to work with their tackling pressure. They had 21 inside 50 tackles to four against Geelong.
Greater Western Sydney
1. Phil Davis will be looking to recreate his sterling job on Jack Riewoldt from round 18, when he restricted the spearhead to two goals and three marks. He'll have help from Aidan Corr, but will the Giants go in smaller in defence, using Adam Tomlinson elsewhere?
2. The Giants will need to get their running game going. In round 18 against the Tigers they had one running bounce for the match. They had 11 in the semi-final win against West Coast.
3. The Giants will target one of the Tigers' star midfielders as a group, but a hard tag on Dustin Martin is unlikely. The most defensively minded of the midfielders will be Stephen Coniglio, who still racked up 35 possessions against the Eagles.
THE SIX POINTS
1. The Giants have a statistical advantage with their clearance game. They rank No.1 for clearances (42.5 a game) and No.2 for centre clearances (14.0). The Tigers rank No.14 for clearances (42.5).
2. This will be the first finals meeting between these teams. Richmond’s win in round 18 ended a two-game winning run for the Giants. The Tigers had won the first five clashes between the sides, including two by more than 100 points.
3. The Tigers continue to be one of the best defensive teams this season, conceding only 74 points a game. The Giants have conceded 81 points a game.
4. Richmond will be playing in its first preliminary final since 2001 when it was thrashed by the Brisbane Lions. This is the second straight season the Giants will play in a preliminary final following last year's loss to the Western Bulldogs.
5. The Tigers have been impressive this season at the MCG winning 10 of 12 matches with their two losses by only two and nine points. GWS has played only 11 times at the MCG in their history for one win.
6. GWS has three players – Toby Greene (No.14), Dylan Shiel (No.17) and Zac Williams (No.20) – ranked in the top 20 of the Schick AFL Player Ratings. The Tigers have two – Dustin Martin (No.2) and Trent Cotchin (No.15).
WHAT THE COACHES SAY
Damien Hardwick: "It was certainly not a game we'll go and get back out of the archives, but from an intensity and effort [point of view] I thought it was terrific. The first quarter we looked a little bit off the pace, they probably didn't capitalise as much as they should have, but I thought the second and third quarters we really controlled proceedings." – after the round 18 win against GWS.
Leon Cameron: "It's exciting for our footy club and I was at the Richmond footy club for four years so I know how big the army can become. It's great for footy but as soon as that ball bounces, it doesn't matter if there's 85,000 Richmond supporters and 10,000 Giants supporters, the result will be determined by the best 22 on the day." – after the semi-final win against West Coast.
IT'S A BIG WEEK FOR … Brett Deledio
The former Tiger comes up against his old club for the first time in what will also be his 250th game. Deledio played 243 games for the Tigers over 12 seasons, leaving at the end of 2016 on good terms. A favourite of the Tiger Army during his time at Punt Road Oval, he will be entering enemy territory now. The Giants used Deledio across half-back in their semi-final win against the Eagles and he will be keen to impress in the first preliminary final of his career.
PREDICTION: Richmond by 12 points
