Richmond’s win over the Western Bulldogs in tough conditions on Saturday was the perfect lead-in to Round 1, according to coach Damien Hardwick.

The Tigers out-scrapped the Bulldogs at a greasy Visy Park, winning by nine points.

“It was a contested game today.  It was just a real scrap.  It’s the thing you want going into round 1.  You want a tough, hard game.  That’s what the Bulldogs give you,” Hardwick said.

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“It was a good result.  We’re really pleased with what we got out of the game.  It was hard, it was tough, and we managed to get over the line.

“To walk away at the end of the NAB Cup campaign four (wins) and one (loss) is a reasonable result for us.”

The Tigers trailed for much of the game against the Bulldogs – by as much as 21 points in the second quarter - but the deficit was just one point at three quarter time after Luke McGuane was subbed on and kicked two quick goals.

By early in the last quarter, Ivan Maric and Brett Deledio – two of Richmond’s best players on the day – kicked goals in quick succession to put the Tigers 11 points ahead.

From there, the teams went goal-for-goal until Jack Riewoldt kicked the sealer after a strong contested mark.

Importantly, the Tigers got through another pre-season match unscathed, and will have an almost-full list to choose from for Round 1.


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