Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has defended the move of determined Tiger small backman Steven Morris to the forward line this season.

Despite Morris’ modest numbers, in terms of disposals and goals, Hardwick believes the switch is worth persevering with.

“There are three different forms of the game . . . defence, offense and stoppage.  And, from our point of view at the moment, Steven does the majority of those pretty well,” Hardwick said.

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“His defensive pressure up forward is outstanding. 

“Would we like him to get on the scoreboard more?  Absolutely.  I think he’s only kicked one goal for the year.

“But we see some signs he’s causing turnovers, he’s creating mayhem up there. 

“From an offensive point of view, we wish he’d get more involved, but we think that will come over time.

 “He’s an important player to us, and one of those guys I like having in the side.

“We’ve just got to make sure we continue to help him through that.”