PRETTY, pretty good.
That was Richmond coach Damien Hardwick's assessment of Tom Lynch and Jack Riewoldt's best game so far as a duo, coinciding with a 38-point defeat of Port Adelaide on Saturday.
They each finished with three majors, with Lynch having 12 score involvements as they effectively interchanged between playing as the deep or lead-up forward.
Tom Lynch played his best game for the Tigers. Picture: AFL Photos
It was just the fourth time Lynch and Riewoldt have played together because of the latter's extended absence with a posterior cruciate ligament setback.
"I'm not sure how they went from a goal-scoring point of view but they both looked dangerous at various stages and once we started to spot them up on the lead, I thought they worked really well together," Hardwick said.
"They're only a couple of games in, really, so they're going to get better along the way and they'll work in unison a bit more."
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The Tigers' forward line, as it was throughout their premiership season in 2017, remains a source of fascination.
Where then Richmond turned to Riewoldt and a mosquito fleet led by Daniel Rioli, Dan Butler and Jason Castagna, it now has the great benefit of two of the game's best key forwards.
However, that's meant some changes, with All Australian Shane Edwards, who led the AFL in score assists last year, sent down back and Josh Caddy adapting to a secret new role in the VFL.
WATCH Lynch and Riewoldt combo getting scarier
Caddy, like ruckman Toby Nankervis – who will play half a game in the VFL on Sunday – and demoted utility Kamdyn McIntosh, will be strongly considered for selection for Friday night's clash with Collingwood.
"(Caddy)'s important to the way we want to play. We're trialling something with Josh and the way we want him to play," Hardwick told reporters.
"We know he can play forward. We're trying to improve his flexibility of a role we want him to play. It's going to be an important role when he comes back into the side.
WATCH Damien Hardwick's full post-match media conference
"We had a really good look at it last week and he'll hopefully improve on that again this week.
"He's the first to admit he hasn't been playing his best but he's probably reflective of the side, in a way, but we are looking forward to welcoming him back in the not-too-distant future."
The Tigers have now won four matches in a row and are on the verge of breaking into the top four, after being in ninth spot before the streak began.
Hardwick rated his team's latest performance as "a bit scratchy" and felt they over-handballed in response to Port Adelaide's defensive press, but was generally pleased.
The premiership coach had quickly turned his attention to the Magpies by the time he attended his obligatory post-match press conference.
"It'll be big, it's important obviously. They're playing now from memory (against Greater Western Sydney), so it's going to be a challenge once again," Hardwick said.
"They've beaten us the last two times, and probably beaten us in a certain way, so we'll be aware of that and have a better understanding of that.
"They're a really good side, they're well-coached, they're well-drilled, they've got incredible talent, so we've got our work cut out for us, but we'll look forward to the challenge on Friday night."
Hardwick noted he and his coaches would need to tweak some of their defensive systems in preparation for Collingwood, which, he said, had reverted to its 2018 playing style in the past month.
