Tigers show early promise

THEY were only abbreviated pre-season games and Richmond won one and lost the other but the way it played in both matches — and in defeating a premiership favourite in Hawthorn in particular — the Tigers had taken more "baby steps" forward, coach Damien Hardwick said.

The Tigers' pressure across the ground helped them push North Melbourne and surprisingly upstage Hawthorn last night in the opening triple-header at Etihad Stadium before a crowd of 28,228.

"I thought our pressure over the ground was a lot better [in both games] than it has been over the last year and a half, two years," Hardwick said.

"We brought in Ross Smith, obviously from Hawthorn, who knows their system so it is something that has worked out well."

Richmond defeated Hawthorn by three points without stars Trent Cotchin, Jack Riewoldt and Dustin Martin after losing to North Melbourne by the same margin.

"Like I said, it is not so much the guys we have got out there but it is the system in place," Hardwick said.

"We have still got some improvements in that area. We certainly gave up some easy goals out the back, but we took some baby steps tonight."

The first game was marred by an off-the-ball clash between Tiger Reece Conca and Leigh Adams that left the North player prone on the ground.

Grainy footage suggested that Conca would have a case to answer from the match review panel.

"I am on the bench so I didn't see it. It is what it is, I suppose. We will wait to see what happens," Hardwick said.

Hardwick otherwise praised the game of Conca and youngsters Todd Elton, Steve Morris and Brandon Ellis.

He also liked the games of the two Marics — Ivan and Addam — in their first match for the Tigers.

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson showed little concern about the loss.

He was emboldened not so much by his team's scintillating start to its game against North Melbourne, as the fact the Hawks jumped to a 38-point lead with Lance Franklin playing up the ground away from his customary post as a target forward. Cyril Rioli also spent time in defence as game time and experimentation dominated Hawthorn's approach.

"They've obviously been key players in the forward line for us, but at different stages we can become a bit too one-dimensional, particularly with Buddy as the key target down forward," Clarkson said. "It was really good, particularly early in the game against the Kangaroos, [that] we kicked five quick goals. It just shows that Buddy doesn't have to be the sole target in our forward line for us to be able to kick a winning score.

"We know he's such a beautiful kick of the footy, he's going to be able to set up some things through the middle of the ground from time to time as well.

"We'll just see how it all plays out . . . he's a very, very talented forward for us, so it's not like we're going to take him away from that area of the ground too often."

Clarkson also used Ryan Schoenmakers and Matthew Suckling at both ends of the ground, and said the imminent return of Stephen Gilham would continue to foster the Hawks' flexibility.

"We got some good game time into some players, that was the goal, and it was just a bonus that we were able to win one of the games then not quite get over the line in the second. We move on to GWS in a couple of weeks down in Tassie, we'll get a bit more game time into our boys."