RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick says the Tigers are better placed and better prepared for this year's preliminary final after last year's shock loss to Collingwood.
Geelong coach Chris Scott, whose side will face Richmond on Friday night, said this week the Tigers were a better team in 2018 than this season.
But Hardwick said the Tigers, who bombed out of last year's premiership race against the Magpies after a dominant season, will hit the preliminary final in strong shape.
Tigers skipper Trent Cotchin at training on Sunday.
"I think we're certainly better prepared," he said on Thursday.
"I feel we've grown as a side, there's no doubt about that. I feel we're better placed. Once again we give ourselves another opportunity to win.
Our players are really hungry, we've got a really good we're coming up against on Friday night and it's going to be a hell of a contest. - Damien Hardwick
Hardwick said the Tigers hadn't spoken about last year's missed shot at the Grand Final in the lead-up to this week's clash with the Cats, nor would they be using Scott's comments as ammunition.
"Chris is very good at giving you an insult without giving you an insult, I reckon. I love the way he goes about it, I love that football club really," he said.
"They're something we admire to be – they've been incredible performer over a long period of time. That's something our football club is starting to get an understanding of and to create that long-term success."
Hardwick and Scott before the 2017 qualifying final.
The Tigers' flag hopes were in doubt mid-year when they headed into their round 14 bye placed at 7-6 and having lost three successive games.
But with key players returning from injury, the Tigers haven't lost since, registering 10 straight wins to propel themselves into preliminary final favouritism.
"I think we've found out some things about our side that has made us better," he said.
"What this side has been able to do, and it’s a credit to [captain] Trent (Cotchin) and the leaders, to go through the adversity in the middle of the year and be sitting 7-6 at the bye to reward ourselves with a preliminary final is an incredible achievement in itself."
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The Tigers look set to take in an unchanged line-up for the clash at the MCG, which is expected to draw a crowd of more than 90,000 fans.
Exciting youngster Sydney Stack is firming to play in the VFL Grand Final on Sunday for Richmond, needing to get through training on Friday before being cleared to play.
He has made a rapid recovery from the ankle injury which looked set to end his spectacular debut season, but Hardwick couldn't be drawn on whether he would select Stack for the Grand Final if the Tigers progress.
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"I think I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. He's a great player, he's a big-game player. But he's also coming off a pretty significant injury as well, so we'll cross our fingers and hope he gets through," he said.
"If we get to make that decision it's a good one [we have] to make."
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