STAR midfielder Dustin Martin is poised to spend more time in the forward line after Richmond bolstered its centre square rotation by trading in Dion Prestia and Josh Caddy.

Martin, 25, spent most of the 2016 season on the ball and responded with a maiden berth in the All Australian team, as well as his first ever best and fairest award.

However, his nine goals was the lowest tally of his career.

Richmond forward line coach Justin Leppitsch told RSN on Monday morning the club's boosted on-ball division would allow Martin to spend more time in attack.

"That's the plan. The depth of midfield we have that can play forward, with all of those players – Caddy, Prestia, Martin and (Trent) Cotchin – that's going to be our strength this year," Leppitsch said.

"If we can harness and keep those players on the field as long as we can … that will be a tactic I'm sure we're looking at for the whole season.

"But as you know, you start the season with a tactic and how it ends is often different."

Richmond lost goalkickers Brett Deledio, who was traded to Greater Western Sydney, and Tyrone Vickery, who joined Hawthorn as a restricted free agent, at the end of the season.

Leppitsch identified stopping the opposition from scoring as a key area of focus. The Tigers missed the finals this year for the first time since 2012 and had the fourth-leakiest defence in the competition.

"There's some things defensively as a club that we're working on pretty hard, because we feel that's the biggest area of growth. I'm taking some of those responsibilities in tackling and things like that to try and hold up the opposition," he said.