Sustaining intense pressure on their highly-skilled Hawthorn opponents for the full four quarters will be a key focus for the Richmond players in Friday night’s battle between the two teams at the MCG.

Hawthorn has won its past three games (against Fremantle, Sydney and Carlton) by a combined total of 299 points and is now a hot favorite to complete the premiership hat-trick this year.

The Tigers are fully aware of what they need to do in order to give themselves the best chance of toppling the dominant Hawks.

WATCH: Damien Hardwick’s press conference from the ME Centre on Thursday

“They’ve got a very good spread of players, and they use the ball very well.  For us, it’s about putting pressure on them when they get the ball, so they can’t have easy decisions to make,” Richmond assistant coach Brendon Lade said on this week’s edition of the ‘Spotlight’.

“It’s just about being switched on the whole time because they are elite with the ball, kicking, so they’ll hit their targets.  And, if they haven’t got any split, they’ll still try and hit those kicks with minimal split with their defenders.

“We just need pressure on the ball all the time as much as we can, and man the mark as best we can to not let them play on.”

Where: MCG
When: Friday, July 31, 7.50pm AEST
TV coverage: Channel Seven (live from 7.30pm), Fox Footy (live from 7.30pm)
Radio coverage: 3AW, SEN, Triple M, ABC

Click here to see Sportsbet’s latest odds for each match and CASH BACK special on Head to Head bets if your team lead at any break but lose.

Richmond team
B: Grimes, Batchelor, Rance
HB: Houli, Vlastuin, Chaplin
C: Ellis, Cotchin, McIntosh
HF: Martin, Lennon, Miles
F: Riewoldt, Deledio, Vickery
R: Maric, Grigg, Hunt
IC: Newman, Lambert, Conca, Lloyd
Em: McBean, Menadue, Morris

In: Vickery, Conca
Out: Hampson (ankle), Griffiths (finger)

Find out how Hawthorn is lining up for Round 18 this weekend

Richmond v Hawthorn recent history

Round 6, 2014, MCG
Richmond            2.0          3.1          4.6          7.10 (52)
Hawthorn            4.7          6.9          14.10     18.10 (118)

Goals – Richmond:  Riewoldt 2, S. Edwards, Ellis, Jackson, Martin, Petterd.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond:  Ellis 32, Grigg 28, Jackson 28, Houli 23, Cotchin 21, Martin 21, S. Edwards 20.
Goals – Hawthorn:  Rioli 4, Breust 2, Gunston 2, Hale 2, Hodge 2, Burgoyne, Hill, Lewis, McEvoy, Puopolo, Roughead.
Leading possession-getters – Hawthorn:  Mitchell 36, Hodge 30, Birchall 26, Burgoyne 24, Lewis 24, Hill 23, McEvoy 22, Suckling 22, Hallahan 20, Langford 20.

Round 19, 2013, MCG

Richmond            6.4          6.6          10.10     16.11 (107)
Hawthorn            3.4          6.8          7.10        9.12 (66)

Goals – Richmond:  Riewoldt 3, S. Edwards 2, Jackson 2, McGuane 2, White 2, Foley, Maric, Martin, Newman, Tuck.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond:  Cotchin 34, Houli 28, Deledio 27, Ellis 25, Martin 25, Foley 22, Grigg 20.
Goals – Hawthorn:  Puopolo 2, Burgoyne, Ceglar, Franklin, Guerra, Hodge, Lewis, Smith.
Leading possession-getters – Hawthorn:  Smith 29, Mitchell 26, Savage 21, Burgoyne 19, Lake 19.

Round 9, 2012, MCG

Richmond            4.4          8.8          13.9        21.11 (137)
Hawthorn            1.3          4.9          8.10        10.15 (75)

Goals – Richmond:  Riewoldt 6, King 3, S. Edwards 2, Jackson 2, Martin 2, Cotchin, Deledio, I. Maric, Morris, Nahas, Tuck.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond:  Tuck 35, Deledio 32, Martin 32, Cotchin 31, Foley 27, Grigg 24, Newman 23, Conca 21, S. Edwards 21.
Goals – Hawthorn:  Breust 3, Rioli 2, Roughead 2, Franklin, Smith, Young.
Leading possession-getters – Hawthorn:  Burgoyne 26, Birchall 24, Whitecross 24, Mitchell 22, Sewell 21, Lewis 20, Suckling 20.

Round 3, 2011, MCG

Richmond            1.3          2.7          4.11        6.16 (52)
Hawthorn            7.1          11.6        13.12     17.13 (115)

Goals – Richmond:  King 2, Grigg, Helbig, Riewoldt, Vickery.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond:  Martin 25, Cotchin 24, Foley 24, Jackson 22, Grigg 19.
Goals – Hawthorn:  Franklin 5, Roughead 3, Hodge 2, Savage 2, Burgoyne, Ellis, Guerra, Hale, Osborne.
Leading possession-getters – Hawthorn:  Lewis 32, Shiels 27, Franklin 22, Birchall 21, Burgoyne 21, Ellis 21, Sewell 21, Suckling 21, Hodge 20, Savage 20.

Round 8, 2010, MCG

Richmond            3.1          6.5          8.5          13.8 (86)
Hawthorn            2.5          7.6          9.10        13.11 (89)

Goals – Richmond:  Riewoldt 4, Graham 2, Newman 2, Edwards, Jackson, Rance, Tambling, White.
Leading possession-getters – Richmond:  Deledio 35, Jackson 31, Cotchin 27, Newman 27, Foley 24, White 21, Nason 20, Tuck 20.
Goals – Hawthorn:  Rioli 4, Franklin 2, Peterson 2, Roughead 2, Birchall, Lewis, Young.
Leading possession-getters – Hawthorn:  Mitchell 29, Hodge 27, Lewis 23, Burgoyne 20, Franklin 19, Sewell 18.

Richmond v Hawthorn head-to-head

Richmond and Hawthorn have played 152 times, with the Tigers winning 84 and losing 68.
Richmond has won three of its past 10 games against Hawthorn.
Richmond's most recent win against Hawthorn was in Round 19, 2013 at the MCG – 16.11 (107) to 9.12 (66).
Richmond and Hawthorn have never played a drawn match.
Richmond and Hawthorn have never met in a final.
Richmond's highest score against Hawthorn is 29.14 (188), in Round 5, 1985 at Princes Park.
Richmond's lowest score against Hawthorn is 2.20 (32), in Round 15, 1975 at Princes Park.
Richmond's greatest winning margin against Hawthorn is 114 points, in Round 16, 1967 at Glenferrie Oval.
Richmond's greatest losing margin against Hawthorn is 101 points, in Round 14, 1986 at the MCG.
Richmond's longest winning sequence against Hawthorn is 21 (an overall Club record), from 1925-36.
Richmond's longest losing sequence against Hawthorn is 16, from 1985-94.
The highest individual goal tally by a Richmond player against Hawthorn is 11 by Michael Roach, in Round 5, 1985 at Princes Park.
Richmond's biggest-ever crowd against Hawthorn is 64,324 in Round 19, 2013.