RICHMOND is preparing to draw "a line in the sand" against the Brisbane Lions at the Gabba on Saturday night, defender Bachar Houli says.
The Tigers were shock losers in round two, falling to the Western Bulldogs by 19 points at the MCG. But it was the way in which his side lost that concerned Houli the most.
"It's just about attitude. Sometimes it happens with three or four players with certain efforts – one action leads to another," Houli said on Tuesday morning.
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"We're still growing as a team. I think we've come a long way but it's about rectifying our mistakes earlier and not following up with the same mistakes.
"Unfortunately that wasn’t the case on the weekend. We carried out similar errors and it cost us the game."
Houli dismissed the notion the Tigers lack strong on-field leadership and revealed an honest feedback session with coach Damien Hardwick formed a critical part of the club's review of the loss to the Bulldogs.
"The coach gives you honest feedback - it's about agreeing and accepting. If there's a contest we didn't go 100 per cent at, the coach would pull us up about that," Houli said.
"We're going to move forward, draw a line in the sand and not make the same mistakes."
Richmond is hopeful star midfielder Brett Deledio will be fit to return for the clash against the Lions, along with Shane Edwards – who was a late withdrawal ahead of the match-up against the Dogs because of a calf issue.
The dual best and fairest winner missed the duel with the Bulldogs through suspension, but would not have played regardless as he continues to battle his own calf problem.
Deledio and Edwards were both on light duties at training on Tuesday, completing stationary ball work and jogging laps with Reece Conca (hamstring).
Deledio left the track early after a conversation with Tigers physio Anthony Schache, but Houli said he expects both Deledio and Edwards to rejoin full training on Thursday to prove their fitness for Saturday night.
"They bring a great intensity to the game, they're hard at the footy, they're great when it comes to second, third efforts, we kind of lacked that a little bit at the weekend," Houli said.
Conca is still up to a fortnight away from a return as he deals with an ongoing hamstring concern.
"It's a little bit disappointing, but I’m only a couple of weeks away, so it’s not quite as bad as what we initially thought," Conca told the club's website.