The Tigers and Demons both sit out of the top eight on percentage going into Round 14, both were impressive last-start winners, and both possess some of the most talented, young players in the competition.
Throw in a rare, traditional Saturday afternoon clash at the MCG, with the forecast for fine weather, and all the ingredients appear to be present for an absorbing encounter before a bumper crowd.
The record attendance for a Richmond-Melbourne match is 76,387, which was set in Round 22, 1998 at the ‘G.
Richmond went into that game in ninth position on the ladder (12 wins, 9 losses, 109.4%), needing to beat the fifth-placed Demons (13-8, 98.8%) to clinch a finals berth. The Tigers, however, were blown away by the brilliance of Jeff Farmer (five goals) and David Neitz (five goals), and bowed out with a 76-point loss - 8.9 (57) to 19.19 (133).
Amazingly, the attendance figure that day even topped (comfortably, too) the 70,330, who turned up at the 1940 Grand Final to see Melbourne 15.17 (107) defeat the Tigers 10.8 (68).
The only other occasion the original MCG co-tenants have drawn a crowd of more than 60,000 was in Round 15 of the 2006 season, when the Demons triumphed by 18 points in wet conditions - 9.16 (70) to 7.10 (52) - before 60,086 fans. Melbourne was third going into that game, with 10 wins and four losses, while Richmond was eighth, on eight wins and six losses.
