Richmond captain Trent Cotchin says this week's bye will benefit a number of Tigers as they ramp up their preparation to face Hawthorn on Thursday week at the MCG.
Cotchin missed Richmond's round 22 win over Essendon with a sore hamstring and is understood to be managing a number of sore spots.
However, the Richmond captain said he was no different to any other player going into a finals series and that the week's rest would do him – and some of his teammates – a power of good.
"I think everyone is a little bit sore. It's a long season and that's the benefit of having a bye leading into the finals, you get an extra week to make sure that your body is as good as it possibly can be," Cotchin said on Wednesday.
"We just look forward to another opportunity to play the way we know we can."
Cotchin played 87 of a possible 117 minutes – 74 per cent of game time – against the Western Bulldogs last week and had just 17 disposals.
Against Gold Coast, the week before the Essendon clash, he played just 53 per cent game time.
Despite his reduced time on the field, he said he wasn't as 'managed' as it appeared.
"I think that's the coach looking after me for not getting as many kicks as I should," he said.
"I missed two weeks prior and my game time wasn't high, but I don't typically play a heap of game time compared to the key backs and so forth.
"It's just another opportunity to play with a team I love against a team that I don't love, and that's as simple as it is for me."
The players returned to the club on Wednesday after two days off and will train again on Thursday with Kane Lambert and Dan Butler set to join in as they ramp up their campaigns to return from ankle injuries.
The Tigers have ensured they have followed a similar bye-week program to what they did last year, given its proven results.
But Cotchin said there were some different feelings to what they experienced 12 months ago, especially given personnel changes with the likes of Jayden Short, Jack Higgins and Reece Conca part of the selection conversation.
"We'd like to think we've grown as a group [from last year]," he said.
"There's guys that didn't get an opportunity last year that are playing this season, but I think everyone shares the same sort of nervous energy about the important part of the year coming up.
"We're really confident in what we do on the field, as a group we have trust in each other and that's the critical part of performing in the big games.
"There's proof in the pudding but there's also the opportunity to go and do it next week, which is what we're striving to do."
