RICHMOND's finals campaign starts Saturday night against the Sydney Swans, Tigers coach Damien Hardwick says.
The Tigers climbed into the top eight for the first time in 2014 with their 26-point over St Kilda at the MCG on Sunday.
But with Collingwood level with them on 11 wins and West Coast and Adelaide just a game further back with superior percentages, it's extremely likely Richmond will have to beat the Swans in round 23 to play in September.
Hardwick acknowledged after Sunday night's game that the ladder-leading Swans had been in "outstanding form", but said his players were looking forward to the challenge.
"There's no better way to try and earn your spot by trying to beat the best," Hardwick said.
"The reality is this is a finals game this week and most people will say it starts the week after, but for us it's as good as (a final).
"We'll just make sure we go out and leave nothing in the tank."
Hardwick paid credit to his players for their ability to climb into the eight after turning around a 3-10 start to 2014 with their current streak of eight consecutive wins.
The Richmond coach said the big difference in the Tigers in the second half of the season had been their belief that their game plan could trouble the competition's best teams.
"The big thing from my point of view is the guys are taking a lot more charge. They know what's required at certain stages and, more importantly, they know they've got a sustainable brand of footy that can win games," Hardwick said.
"The big one for us is to make sure we consistently deliver that against quality opposition.
"I thought we were inconsistent today. We played two good quarters of footy and I think St Kilda probably showed us a little bit up at certain stages.
"We've got a big challenge (against the Swans)."
St Kilda coach Alan Richardson, for one, thinks the Tigers are a chance "to really do some damage" if they make the finals.
"They've got as good a midfield as any other group going around, their backline is really aggressive in the way they play and obviously Jack (Riewoldt) is very impressive in front of the ball," Richardson said.
"There's no doubt they're playing good footy."
Richmond will play the Swans at ANZ Stadium, a venue it has played at just once, back in round 22, 2002.
Hardwick said the Tigers would have a light training session at ANZ Stadium on Friday, but he was expecting a dead surface given the venue's grass is a bit longer than other AFL grounds.
The Richmond coach said Dustin Martin had missed Sunday's win over the Saints with hamstring tightness, but could have played and would play against the Swans.
Key forward Tyrone Vickery will also be available after completing a four-match suspension. But Hardwick said fellow key forward Ben Griffiths' encouraging form in Vickery's absence meant Richmond's selectors had a tough decision to make.
"Ben's been very good, another two goals today, taken some really strong contested marks. Prior to Ty's indiscretion I thought he was in really good form too and he's been training the house down," Hardwick said.
"We've got to see whether we can fit [both of them and Jack Riewoldt] in because they're a big side, Sydney."
