These are exciting times down at Tigerland!

With the club sitting beautifully at 9-4 we are perfectly placed to taste September action for the first time since 2001, but as a long suffering supporter, until we are mathematically safe, I’m not getting ahead of myself!

If the boys continue with the same play that they have shown throughout the past month of football, then we are certainties for September.

However, the run home is no piece of cake, starting this week against North Melbourne who traditionally are a tough opponent for us to get over the top of.

One reason is Drew Petrie, who usually fires against us.

He is a difficult match up given his blend of height and athleticism, but with the recruitment of Troy Chaplin we now have an extra, experienced tall defender who we can rely upon. I actually think Dylan Grimes would also be a fantastic matchup but unfortunately Dylan is still trying to make his way back from injury.

Another danger man is Brent Harvey. Boomer has been in fine form since returning from his suspension, with his run and carry through the midfield being a huge weapon for the Kangaroos. Someone will need to go with him but given he can switch between forward and midfield at any time, we may have to have a couple of players rotate through him.

One thing about North Melbourne is they don’t really have a weak spot on the ground. Down back they have a very solid key position defender in Scott Thompson, in the ruck they have a talented big man in Todd Goldstein, in the midfield they have the likes of Swallow, Wells and Ziebell and then of course up forward they have Petrie.

As such, this is a game that the boys will definitely need to be ready for come Saturday afternoon. I see no reason why we can’t notch up our 5^th win in a row though, given we have some players in career best form at the minute.

Tyrone Vickery’s game last week would have had all Tiger fans salivating at the mouth, while new recruit Aaron Edwards was incredibly prolific across the half-forward line and will be itching to play well against his old side.

Bachar Houli has also gone under the radar this year, but his form has been nothing short of outstanding so far and would have him right up there in our best and fairest count at this stage.

It is now clear that we have some really good depth at the minute which means we aren’t relying as heavily on the likes of Cotchin, Deledio, Maric and Riewoldt, who while playing well, aren’t tearing games apart like we know they can.

Depth is really the final frontier before a club can have that finals berth and a sustained period at the top. I really think we have this now, making it the most exciting period to be a Richmond fan for the last 30 years.

Go Tiges!

Follow me on Twitter @Stuart_Wilson23