Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was impressed with his side's improvement in Saturday night's 54-point win over North Melbourne following last week's ugly win over Sydney.

Hardwick says he is encouraged by the evolution of his side which found a way to fill the void left by the absence of several of his senior players.

“It was always going to take a bit of time with the five players going out of the side and we see some growth in some players merging into some roles so that was really promising for us,” Hardwick said.

“We played and moved the ball a lot better than last week so there were a lot of positives to come out of the game.

Josh Caddy suffered what looks to be a "significant" hamstring injury, which the coach thinks will keep him out for a number of weeks.

In positive news, Hardwick confirmed defender David Astbury would be available to play Greater Western Sydney next week, while Trent Cotchin is training well but would be kept another week.

The Richmond coach was full of praise for superstar Dustin Martin, who was tagged by Luke McDonald and managed to gather 16 disposals but kick two goals.

"Dustin's work around stoppage tonight … he provided opportunities for us, created two v ones, that's the growth in his game, the sign of a leader," Hardwick said.

"That's how far this kid's come in his football career, it's not about him, it's about that 'W' (win) at the end of the night that's what he's all about."