Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has emphasised the importance of winning contested football in finals.

With the Tigers preparing for Sunday’s elimination final against North Melbourne at the MCG, Hardwick is fully aware of how even more significant this area of the game becomes.

“The contested nature of the game ramps up a little bit . . . All the sides within the eight are obviously good sides, so the contested-ball numbers probably go up about 10 percent,” Hardwick said.

“The great thing for us is, from a preparation point of view, our last two games have been those sort of numbers. 

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“So, we’re really pleased with the ‘prep’ we’ve got within those games. 

“It’s just a matter of maintaining your composure around the contested nature of the game. 

“We didn’t do that well early doors last week (v North Melbourne) . . . we managed to get our game back on track over the course of the remaining quarters. 

“It settles down like most games, but the fact of the matter is these games (finals) are higher in contested nature because they’re the better sides in the competition.

“There are eight sides now going for one prize, so the stakes are high.”   

Hardwick also allayed any concerns that the young, inexperienced members of the Tigers’ line-up might be overawed by the big occasion.

“The fortunate thing about being at the Richmond Footy Club is we play in front of big crowds all the time . . . ‘Dreamtime’ (v Essendon), versus Collingwood, versus Carlton, we regularly get 80,000.  So it’s not going to be something we’re too worried about,” Hardwick said.

“We’re just looking forward to a great contest on Sunday afternoon in front of a big crowd. 

“It’s going to be a great day.”

Visit Richmond’s finals hub for all information relating to this week’s elimination final