RICHMOND will aim to make the contested ball their own when they take on Port Adelaide on Saturday at AAMI Stadium.

Tigers coach Terry Wallace said his teams strength in the contest had allowed them to stay competitive against better skilled opponents this season.

Given Port's recent struggles to add efficient inside ball winning to complement their outside running, there is sure to be plenty of intrigue in the duel of styles between the two teams.

"In any game of football, if you go after the footy, you're hard enough often enough normally results will go your way, and one of the keys to our game this year has been contested football and we've been very strong in that area," Wallace said.

"Every game you play if you can get a hold of the contested ball you're usually in the games and we've found most of the year we've been competitive in our matches home and away because of that contested part of the game.

"Clearly, they'll want to improve that area of their own game so that'll be one of the challenges for both sides."

Port Adelaide's propensity to fade away at the end of games has been noted and used by coaches at three-quarter time since its round four loss to the Brisbane Lions.

But Wallace admitted that the criticism could also be directed at the Tigers.

"When you have a look, both sides have probably almost lost unloseable games along the way," he said.

"Carlton and Brisbane games will stick in the craw of Port Adelaide, the Bulldogs game we were three goals up with a couple of minutes to play, St Kilda kicking for goal either side of the siren and missing easy shots probably sticks in our craw.

"Either side could be a lot closer to the eight if they'd got those close ones right. It's probably the area last year that Port did right."

A corked thigh is not expected to be any sort of hindrance to Tigers spearhead Matthew Richardson, while Port seem likely to cover for the demotion of Justin Westhoff by giving ruckman Brendon Lade the chance to re-build some confidence up forward.