Freed from the shackles of strict backline discipline, Luke McGuane has a new lease on football life.

The attributes which have formed the cornerstone of his league career at Richmond remain, but he now has a licence to thrill as well.

“I really am enjoying the fact that I can still tackle, chase, compete and do what I want to do, which I love – hitting bodies – but at the same stage, I get the rewards of having some fun, kicking some goals and going for my marks, without the fear of Eddie Betts or Steven Milne going to rove them and kick the goal if I drop it,” McGuane said in an exclusive interview with the Club’s official podcast, “Talking Tigers”, in the lead-up to his 100^th AFL game this Saturday, against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium.

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“If I drop it now, we’ve got little ‘Kingy’, or Nahas, or someone like that, roving it.

“All of a sudden, what you did was a good job because you created a contest, not dropped the ball.”

McGuane, who has kicked 27 goals in 15 games since being moved forward, is looking forward to reaching the 100-game milestone this weekend, in what shapes as a crucial clash for the Tigers after three consecutive losses.

“I think a couple of family members are going to come over and, hopefully, we’ll have a win,” he said.

“It’s really important.  We started this month with two losses, so I’d like to think we’ll finish the four-week block with a 2-2 record, with Port Adelaide and Melbourne coming up.

“Obviously, we know they’re pretty tough games, but we really need to make sure that this month isn’t a 0-4 loss.”