BROWNLOW medallist Dustin Martin will have a licence to roam in Saturday's Grand Final, with Richmond coach Damien Hardwick happy for the superstar midfielder to push forward whenever it is needed.
Martin played a match-turning role as a forward against Greater Western Sydney in last Saturday's preliminary final, kicking three successive goals either side of three-quarter time.
He started in attack and spent more than 60 per cent of his time in the forward line, with Hardwick likening the 26-year-old to a chess piece that could be moved to any position on the board.
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"I'd like to tell 'Dusty' where he plays but he just plays wherever the hell he wants, to be perfectly honest," Hardwick said at the Grand Final press conference on Friday.
"He'll play through the midfield and he'll also play up forward. What that split is, it depends how the game is tracking at certain stages.
"We expect all our leaders to be like that. If they think they can make a difference at any stage of the game by going to a certain position on the ground, that's what they do.
"That's what makes them great players. That's why I'm happy to back those guys in."
Dustin Martin takes a selfie during the Grand Final Parade. Picture: AFL Photos
Richmond was met with a crowd of more than 5000 at Punt Road Oval for training on Friday morning, and success-starved fans lined the streets of Melbourne just two hours later for the Grand Final Parade.
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Asked if the team had struck the right balance between enjoying the week and remaining focused on Saturday's match, captain Trent Cotchin said the players had proved their ability to handle the hype through the finals.
The skipper's preparation for the biggest game of his career would not change.
"For me it's very easy, I just be dad," he said.
"The greatest thing with having kids, which not a lot of players would know, is they take your focus first and foremost. For others it'll just be chilling out at a cafe, whatever they normally do.
"There's a lot of hype and a lot of talk, a lot of excitement, and that's the beauty of our game, it brings a lot of people together. We love that and we celebrate that.
"But as soon as that's over, we'll be ready to settle in and get ready for a game tomorrow."
Hardwick said his team was in a good state after getting through Friday morning's training run unscathed, and his players were ready to go.
The decision to take an unchanged line-up into the premiership decider means Richmond will have used the same 22 in each of its three finals.
"Guys have been playing some good, consistent football and it really is the sum of the parts with our side," the coach said.
"Most good sides are similar in nature, and we've been very fortunate that a lot of our players in our development squad have been playing incredible football as well and they nearly won the (VFL) flag.
"A lot of players put up their hand to play and they'll be disappointed, there's no doubt about that. But they're fully behind the 22 that's representing the club tomorrow."
The Tigers' small forward line has been a key to their success this season, and both Hardwick and Cotchin praised the sacrificial role vice-captain Jack Riewoldt has played this season.
The two-time Coleman medallist has "owned" the group and brought smaller teammates like Dan Butler, Daniel Rioli and Jason Castagna into the game through creating a contest.
Hardwick said the decision to stick with a small structure throughout the second half of the season had been a risk, but he would continue to back those players to deliver.
"We've taken that risk for five or six weeks now and we've found a formula we've embraced," the coach said.
"We're small, we're young up forward, but these are the things we've had for five or six weeks now and it's worked for us.
"You take a risk, but that's how things are won. You've got to take risks at some stage."
