RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick says the Tigers are prepared for a tough battle against the team he rates as the best defensive team in the competition when they play against Fremantle at the MCG on Saturday.
Champion Data statistics only partially confirm Hardwick's claim about Fremantle, but the coach said the indicators that the Tigers look at within the club support his claim.
"Defensively they're the best in the AFL," he said.
"If we don't control the game they way we want to control it, they'll certainly do some damage and stifle us offensively.
"We've got our work cut out for us."
Both teams are 5-5, with Richmond in 10th place and Fremantle 11th.
Fremantle is the second hardest team to score against once the ball is inside its defensive 50, and it has conceded the second fewest marks inside defensive 50.
Its record of stifling opposition forward lines is excellent even in a season in which its record is patchy.
Freo will need to be on its guard against Richmond, which over the past five weeks has recorded the second highest average of points for, with 110 a game.
According to Champion Data, its statistics during the past five weeks are those of a top-four team.
Hardwick, who took over as Richmond coach before the 2010 season, is trying for his first victory against a team with Ross Lyon as coach.
He described Lyon, who was at the helm at St Kilda during Hardwick's first two seasons at Punt Road, as a fantastic coach whose teams were highly disciplined and methodical.
"He's a great student of the game, he's a great coach, and we've just to hope we get the job done against a very good, experienced side," Hardwick said.
The Tigers are surging with confidence following victories over Port Adelaide, the Sydney Swans, Hawthorn and St Kilda over the past five weeks.
The only loss has been to Essendon, which held out a late surge from the Tigers.
Hardwick likened his team to Adelaide, which was brimming with confidence after an unexpectedly strong start to the season.
The Crows are in third place, equal with West Coast and Essendon with an 8-2 record.
"They're playing some outstanding footy that probably no one saw coming, apart from them internally," Hardwick said.
"We're probably a little bit the same.
"We know it's there. We've just got to keep building on what we do well, eradicate some deficiencies, and we'll keep getting the result we're after."
Hardwick said the Tigers would be wary of those he described as Fremantle's game-changers, players such as Matthew Pavlich and Chris Mayne.
He also noted that midfielder David Mundy was running into a bit of form.
"They're on the march, they're starting to tick over, so we've got our work cut out for us," Hardwick said.
