Richmond wary of Magpies AFL prelim noise

Thursday, 20 September 2018:

DAMIEN HARDWICK Senior Coach of the Tigers during the 2017 AFL match between the Port Adelaide Power and the Richmond Tigers at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia.
DAMIEN HARDWICK Senior Coach of the Tigers during the 2017 AFL match between the Port Adelaide Power and the Richmond Tigers at Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia.


Having done it all in the past 12 months, Richmond are readying themselves to climb their last AFL mountain in their preliminary final against Collingwood.

An army of opposition support.

Damien Hardwick's side roared to last year's flag off the back of ferocious fandom from the Tiger Army.

Richmond defeated Geelong, GWS Giants and Adelaide at the MCG, the venue where they've now won 22 times in a row.

Each time, they've been loudest.

On Friday night at the MCG, it might not be the case.

The Tigers' only equal for support awaits in Collingwood, giving Richmond a new adversary - one that veteran Shane Edwards is eagerly anticipating.

"It's going to be a tough challenge. We haven't faced a 50-50 crowd in finals," he said.

"(Crowd support) is huge. They keep the momentum going and they give you that little bit of adrenaline you might not have had.

"It's an even home ground kind of game.

"We've just got to make sure we focus on our process, we don't think about anything else ... we have to stick to our structure and that's it."

Richmond and Collingwood have been competing with various levels of viciousness for more than 100 years and meet in September for the first time since the 1980 grand final.

There's no shortage of historic motivators that the team could drawn upon but Edwards said the Tigers hadn't chosen to go down that route in preparing for the preliminary final.

He said Hardwick had kept the focus firmly on systems and game plans.

"It's who sticks to their structure the longest and who keeps the intensity up for the longest," Edwards said.

"They can be stronger in some areas but whoever is stronger for the longest amount of time will win.

The All Australian said the great edge his side boasts is the trophy at Punt Road.

"It'd be hard not to look back on last year," he said.

"It's an advantage we have over Collingwood, that we were there last year.

"Last year we didn't really know what to expect.

"This year we can reflect back on some of the evidence that we had last year.

"The feelings, the butterflies are there.

"We know what the moment is going to be like."






AAP