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RICHMOND will enter this year's finals series confident in its ability to take on the competition's best and buoyed by its recent record on the road, according to captain Trent Cotchin.
The Tigers sealed eight spot with a thrilling win over minor premiers the Sydney Swans at ANZ Stadium on Saturday night, giving the team wins in Perth, Adelaide and Sydney through its incredible 9-0 run.
Cotchin said the players were already focused on their elimination final against Port Adelaide next Sunday at Adelaide Oval and travelling was not an obstacle for the group.
"We've shown in the last few weeks that the game we're playing is able to take it up to the best at challenging times," he said on Sunday ahead of the team's recovery session at Punt Road Oval.
"To take it up to the top team, granted they had a couple of players out, and get away with the result, I think it just shows a steely resolve.
"We had a win a couple of weeks ago at Adelaide Oval, (but) we know that Port play the ground really well.
"Well do our review and preview and make sure we know exactly what to expect when we get there and once we do we'll just play the way we play."
Cotchin said the Tigers had learned lessons from last year's short-lived finals series and the group would focus on keeping consistency in its training and routine this week.
In the euphoric aftermath to Saturday night's win, the skipper said there was only a brief window for the players to enjoy their achievement after fighting back from a 3-10 start to the season.
After a brilliant individual performance, Cotchin said his emotions on the final siren were "excitement, happiness, but also a bit of relief".
"There wasn't a lot of time to hang around the rooms and enjoy it, but we had the bus trip back to Sydney airport and then the flight," he said.
"We believed in our plan and we finally got to a position where we play in a final next week.
"We'll come in today and do some recovery, and then tomorrow it's already a focus going into Port Adelaide, who have played some really good footy over the last couple of weeks."
After 12 years in the wilderness, Richmond returned to the finals last year but bowed out in an elimination final against Carlton.
Cotchin said the Tigers had matured through their rollercoaster 2014 season and would draw on their September experience last year.
"I think for any footy club that gets into a finals series and then bows out, we know from last year that it's a real empty feeling," he said.
"We've just to leave no stone unturned and give it all."
