RICHMOND'S tall forwards will compete for round-one selection in Saturday's NAB Challenge clash against North Melbourne, with coach Damien Hardwick yet to settle on his best structure in attack and the ruck.
The Tigers will call on tall forward Ben Griffiths for his first NAB Challenge match, showcasing a three-pronged attack with Ty Vickery and Jack Riewoldt.
Griffiths is leaner after a standout summer working on his running ability and repeat speed. He has missed short periods late in the pre-season with sore spots, but Hardwick said he was ready to play.
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"He was probably touch and go but we gave him another week of training and got him up and going," the coach said.
"He's had an incredible pre-season. He looks like an incredible athlete and we're looking forward to him taking that into our game this week.
"Ty has been OK without being to the level that I know he can play, but it's hard for key forwards … in the NAB Challenge, because of the ball use, the wind, all these factors.
"This week we're at an indoor facility (Etihad Stadium), it's a quality field and we're looking forward to seeing how those guys go."
The Tigers could also use their final pre-season match to test Griffiths as support ruckmen after Vickery played that role in the opening two matches.
Skipper Trent Cotchin has been named for his first 2015 game after overcoming hamstring soreness.
Ruckman Shaun Hampson won't play after shouldering the load in the opening NAB Challenge match against the Western Bulldogs.
"It's an interesting one, Shaun Hampson was outstanding against the Bulldogs and without doubt the dominant ruckman," Hardwick said.
"So we're giving some guys an opportunity.
"We're looking for Shaun to try a bit forward and possibly pinch-hit in the ruck, so that's a position where we're looking to develop that second type of ruckman.
"We're still a little undecided in that area at this stage."
The Tigers will field their strongest team of the pre-season against the Kangaroos, with Hardwick excited about the competition for spots across all lines.
"It's getting to the business end of the pre-season competition and we've got to try and find those guys who are putting their hands up for positions," he said.
"We think it's going to be a really good contest (against North) and we're looking forward to it."
The Tigers have one vacant spot on their senior list, which can be filled by a rookie ahead of next Tuesday's deadline.
After impressing in the opening two NAB Challenge matches, mature-age recruit Kane Lambert appears poised for promotion if he performs against the Kangaroos.
"He's been really impressive," Hardwick said.
"He's a mature-age prospect, so we always expected him to be a little bit further advanced than our first-year players.
"The way he's attacked his training and the way he's fitted into the club has been outstanding.”
