RICHMOND midfielder Brett Deledio says the Tigers are mindful of the hype that threatens to engulf the club as it pushes towards a rare finals series.
The Tigers have played in September only twice in the past three decades, in 1995 and 2001.
Their stirring eight-point victory over St Kilda at the weekend brought their record to 5-5 after a difficult opening 10 rounds of the season.
With an easier draw during the middle stretch, the Tigers are well-placed for a finals tilt.
It's a situation that has prompted great excitement from Richmond's notoriously boisterous fans.
"We're still only 5-5, we're still not in the eight," Deledio said.
"We're trying not to get caught up in the hype. We're just going about our business."
Deledio said supporters deserved to feel upbeat after sticking with the club through hard times.
"Our supporters have stuck fat, and they're really excited with what they see is going on," he said.
"There's no doubt it's exciting. But there's still plenty of work to do."
Deledio said the club's victory over St Kilda in such dramatic circumstances has fuelled the club's belief.
The Saints came from four goals down during the last quarter to hit the lead.
Richmond then steadied to take the game - in a reversal to previous matches this season.
In round one Richmond threatened Carlton in the last quarter before the Blues ran away 44-point winners.
Against Essendon in round eight, Richmond fought back to hit the lead before the Bombers steadied and claimed a 29-point win.
"The Tigers of old probably would have been blown out of the water [by St Kilda]; they would have lost by 30 or 40 points, as happened in round one," Deledio said.
"To have the lead and lose it and then come back again … I think it's a credit to our belief.
"It was exciting, but there's still plenty of room for improvement. We shouldn't have let them get back in the game."
Richmond began the season with a record of 1-4 before defeating Port Adelaide in round six.
Since then it has defeated the Sydney Swans, Hawthorn and St Kilda and lost to Essendon.
When asked to pinpoint the moment when the Tigers felt their season was turning, he nominated the 10-point loss to Geelong at Simonds Stadium in round four.
"Although we didn't get the points that day [against Geelong] we played reasonably good footy, albeit with some lapses late in the game," Deledio said.
"Then we were close against West Coast as well.
"It's about our belief. We believed we were on the right path."
Deledio admitted that if he were told before the season that the Tigers would be 5-5 after 10 rounds, he would have taken it.
But, he said, the Tigers' ambitions had changed.
