Richmond are preparing for Carlton's more attacking brand of football in Thursday night's season opener, and are conscious of stopping the dangerous Patrick Cripps, who has shown in the pre-season he's set to be used further up the ground.

The Blues will also unveil No.3 draft selection Paddy Dow after his blistering summer that culminated in the midfielder signing a three-year contract extension last week before he's even played a game.

"Cripps seems to get taller every time I see him, he's such an impressive player," Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said on Wednesday. 

"They've got a real weapon with Patrick and his ability to push a little bit forward as well.

"We've got some great defenders that will be able to manage him as best they can.

"A player like Cripps you always put some work into. He's incredible around stoppages and also developing that craft up forward.

"Then, they've brought in a young kid called Dow, who's going to be an incredible talent, and then to complement that with a guy called Murphy.

"They've got a really solid midfield that's exciting and developing, and it's going to be a really big challenge for our guys."