Richmond coach Damien Hardwick is confident Tiger star Dustin Martin will bounce back from a subdued opening round performance, in the Round 2 match against the Western Bulldogs at the MCG tomorrow (Saturday).

Martin, coming off an impressive pre-season, was kept in close check by Carlton in Round 1, finishing with just 13 disposals, but Hardwick has no doubt he has the capacity to overcome a tight tag.

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“It’s going to happen (getting tagged) . . . From our point of view, Dustin’s handled a tag before, he’ll handle a tag again,” Hardwick said. 

“The great thing about Dustin is you can throw him forward, he can kick goals. 

“You look at the guys like Jobe Watson and Josh Kennedy, those bigger-bodied inside ‘mids’ . . . they’re basically untaggable.  Dustin will get to that stage, I’ve got no doubt.”

Find out all about Richmond’s Round 2 pre-game activities this Saturday