RICHMOND has a Chris Judd?

So says Terry Wallace.

Fear not, the Richmond coach isn't getting carried away with the form of young Tiger Nathan Foley on the back of the Hall of Fame tribute match and the season so far, but he has compared him to the Brownlow Medallist in one aspect.

"He's been in good form for us, but it's very difficult – what he actually does is he allows us to get a bit more time and freedom in the game," Wallace said. "Juddy going to Carlton has probably released some of their other midfielders not to get the same attention.

"That's what Nathan does for us."

But Wallace warned that while the tribute game would have been good for the 22-year-old's confidence, this weekend's match against Geelong at the MCG on Saturday afternoon would be a vastly different affair to last Saturday night's free-wheeling exhibition match.

"I think Nathan understands that he was given more time and space in that game than what he would be afforded in a normal game of footy, so you put it in perspective.

"I think any player playing at the elite level and getting the realisation that they can step up to that level and play gains a degree of confidence about it, but there's a reality about what that means in relation to the next game of footy you're playing.

"I wouldn't suggest that Cameron Ling's going to give him that much room and space on the weekend, so I think he's genuine enough to put it in the right perspective."

Wallace said the general public was finally caching up to opposition teams' assessment of Foley due to the fact that the Tigers were travelling better this season.

"We haven't been a strong side over the last couple of seasons, I suppose, so there's not a lot of attention goes to sides outside the eight.

"But he wouldn't have gone into a game over the last half of last year and the first seven games of this year where he hasn't been tagged.