RICHMOND will try to limit Patrick Dangerfield's effectiveness without running a hard tag on the Geelong superstar, with coach Damien Hardwick declaring an intriguing midfield battle was the key to victory in Friday night's qualifying final.
While the Tigers plot ways to shut down Dangerfield and returning Cats skipper Joel Selwood, Geelong will have its hands full quelling Brownlow Medal favourite Dustin Martin and Richmond captain Trent Cotchin.
Dangerfield won 21 of his 30 possessions in the contest when the Cats beat Richmond in round 21, also racking up 11 clearances and eight inside 50s in a brilliant performance.
Hardwick said the Tigers would have defensive midfield plans, but needed to decide whether they implemented them straight away on Friday night or kept them up their sleeve.
"Whether it's Dangerfield, Selwood or (Mitch) Duncan, one of those guys will cop … I wouldn't say a tag but we'll try and limit their effectiveness as best we can," the coach said.
"A guy like Dangerfield, you can sit there and tag him and he can still have 25-30 possessions.
"So his effectiveness is probably the thing we monitor from that. He had a really good game last time.
"He had 21 contested balls, 17 pre-clearance, which is an enormous number. So we'll put some work into him, there's no doubt."
Hardwick said Cotchin and Selwood would cross paths in the midfield, while Dion Prestia shapes as a defensive option for the coach after strong run-with performances in the second half of the season.
Contested ball will be a key focus for the Tigers after they lowered their colours against the Cats in round 21, losing the key indicator 132-150.
"It's going to be a good midfield battle … I thought our guys were beaten in that area last time," he said.
"(Cam) Guthrie played an enormous game for them. (Sam) Menagola is in outstanding form, so their depth has certainly improved in that part of their game.
"We have also improved in that part of our game as well. It's going to be won and lost in there, most games are. We're making sure our boys play a better game than they did last time."
Asked about the Tigers' 13-game losing run against the Cats, Hardwick said: "We can't control what's happened to us in the past. We can control how we respond, and that's what we're looking forward to".
He said the team would go into its first qualifying final since 2001 "as confident as we could" after training "a couple of things" since that round 21 game.
The coach expected Geelong defender Harry Taylor to again play forward in a defensive role on Alex Rance, but said the All Australian captain had learnt some lessons from their last meeting.
"Champion players often respond," Hardwick said.
"Harry is a really good player as well, so we expect that similar match-up to occur.
"We learnt some lessons from that. Alex certainly learnt some lessons. He's a very proud man and we know he's got a role to play that's important to us."
Hardwick was confident Martin would perform at his brilliant best despite news on Wednesday night that his father Shane would be unable to return to Australia because of an amendment to the Migration Act.
Martin's father resides in New Zealand after he had his visa cancelled over alleged connections with members of outlaw motorcycle gangs and Immigration Minister Peter Dutton said he would not be allowed back into the country.
"Dusty has dealt with this situation … he's a resilient lad. He's disappointed from a human element, we all are," Hardwick said.
"We'd all love our father to see us playing in a final, but Dusty has dealt with this for a long period of time, so he understands, and he'll put his best foot forward and play some good footy.
"Once he crosses that white line he understands what's there to be done, and we're looking forward to a big performance from him."
