Matthew Richardson previews Friday night's preliminary final clash against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.

1. Underdogs

Richmond will come into Friday’s preliminary final against Port Adelaide as the underdogs. Port Adelaide finished on top of the ladder and will fill the Adelaide Oval with almost 30,000 of their passionate fans, with a small, but vocal, representation of the Tiger Army. There haven’t been many match-ups where Richmond haven’t been favoured in the last few years, but the Tigers will relish the challenge of a hostile environment.

2. Contested Ball

The Tigers were solidly beaten in the midfield the last time these two teams met in Round 11. Port Adelaide had 18 more clearances, (20-5 centre differential), 43 more contested possessions, and 80 more disposals. It will be a more experienced Richmond side that lines up this Friday night, one that will be looking to break even in these key categories.

3. Momentum

Unlike the last three finals campaigns, the Tigers didn’t progress straight to the preliminary final and had to play through the semi final stage. Key Tigers Dion Prestia, Shane Edwards, Bachar Houli and Dave Astbury will welcome the extra game time as they look to build momentum after missing different stages of the 2020 premiership season.