Tigers’ tricky test
ST KILDA’S recent form as much as his own team’s winning ways has put Richmond coach Damien Hardwick on edge ahead of tomorrow night’s clash at Etihad Stadium.
While Hardwick’s Tigers have won four of their past five, he is acutely aware of the quality of the Saints’ past three victories.
“Their ladder position is probably a little bit below where they should be,” the coach said.
“Their numbers indicate that they’re a very good side on the rise, and we’re looking to rise again, as well.
“It should be a fierce contest between two sides that play relatively similar brands of football, defensively set up well behind the ball and can attack quickly and score quickly.
“They have changed the way they play a bit since the bye.
“Even ‘Richo’ (Saints coach Alan Richardson) said they’re trying to be more aggressive with the ball and that certainly has been noted from our point of view. And Jack Billings is in outstanding form also.
“So we have to make sure we slow them down . . . because they’ve got a really potent forward line, as we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks.”
While full of praise for Richmond’s away win against Port Adelaide last round, Hardwick said there were areas that still needed improvement to maintain a top-four position in the back half of the season.
“We didn’t play overly well (at the Adelaide Oval),” he said.
“We failed to hit the scoreboard early in the game and defensively we had a couple of lapses that were uncharacteristic for us.
“So, there’s still areas of our game to work on and we’re certainly looking forward to putting together a better performance this week from an overall perspective.”