Clearance-work has been an area of focus for Richmond as it prepares for a second round AFL pre-season competition clash with Essendon at Wangaratta on Saturday.

The Tigers were beaten in the clearances by North Melbourne in the second of their triangular opening round matches last Friday night at Etihad Stadium, and that proved a decisive factor in their eventual four-point loss.

“We weren’t great in the clearances and it’s something we’ve worked on,” Tiger assistant coach Brendon Lade told SEN.

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 “Look, the AFL brought in a rule, the last touch out of bounds, but the majority of clearances still were throw-ins.  It’s going to be there to stay, the throw-ins, for a long time, and we just need to get better at it. 

“So we’ve had a good look at that this week and we think we’ve addressed it.

“We come up against a good clearance team this week, in the Bombers, and we get to test ourselves against them.”

Lade said Richmond’s preparation and planning for the pre-season series was entirely geared towards the opening round of the premiership season.   

“It’s all about getting the best possible preparation into each player,” he said.

“We’re resting four or five this week, and the same will happen next week.  The last game, we’ll probably ramp it up and play our best team...

“We think we’ve come off a good preparation, but we’re like every other team – we’re equal top at the moment...

“We’re just hoping to get to Round 1 and be fully fit and have a decent crack at Carlton.”