Richmond will hit this Friday night’s match against West Coast refreshed and re-focused after having last weekend off due to the split round.

The Tigers entered the bye in good spirits, after notching an important win against Port Adelaide, and Hardwick said the Tigers have trained well this week ahead of the trip to Perth.

“It’s always good for a mental freshen up as well as a physical one from our players’ point of view,” Hardwick told the media at his weekly press conference at the ME Bank Centre.

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“So, they’ve come back and trained well, which is always important.

“There is the danger (that) you come back and you’re a little bit in holiday mode, but we had a pretty good session on Saturday to make sure we blew those cobwebs out.

“We’re really refreshed, get a couple of players back so we’re looking forward to taking on West Coast on Friday night.”

Young midfielders Reece Conca and Ben Lennon are available for AFL selection after recovering from heavy collisions last weekend, while Shaun Grigg, who has been sidelined since Round 11, will return via the VFL.

The Tigers have a promising away record against the Eagles in recent times, and Hardwick is confident his side can claim its fourth-straight win, but acknowledges it will be a difficult task.

“West Coast, by their own admission, wouldn’t have played as well as they would’ve liked at home, but it makes it no less daunting going over there this week,” he said.

“There’s probably no bigger test than heading over to Perth at a stadium that’s a little bit different obviously, with the dimensions of the ground that come into play.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge of playing West Coast … it’s going to be a great game.”