Richmond will need to play at its optimum for four quarters to challenge table-topper Hawthorn tomorrow, according to coach Damien Hardwick.

The Hawks welcome the Tigers to the MCG this Saturday afternoon, a match that will see the Tigers attempt to reduce the gap between them and the top four sides.

After a tough loss to 2012 premiers Sydney last week, Hardwick insists his side is prepared for another stern contest against the Hawks.

“We’re going from Sydney last week on their home deck … into a team like Hawthorn, who really put Essendon to the sword last week,” Hardwick said.

“We’ve got an enormous rate of improvement in us. Obviously at the moment we feel that there’s a gap between the top four sides and us, so we need to eradicate that gap as quickly as possible.

Hardwick believes his troops would need to remain consistent during the entire match, for a chance to achieve the result they're after.

“The thing about us is when we play at our best, we are capable of beating the best. We’ve got to reach that consistency level over a four-quarter period, and that’s probably something we haven’t done to the level we would have liked this year.”

Tall defender David Astbury, who has been selected to play in the side this week, will give the Tigers the additional height they need.

“With (Lance) Franklin, (Jarryd) Roughead, (David) Hale and even (Jack) Gunston to a degree, we’ve got some guys in Astbury, (Troy) Chaplin and (Alex) Rance that will go head to head at various stages,” Hardwick said.

“Its going to be an enormous challenge for our guys… they’re a formidable outfit.

“We know we are capable of beating Hawthorn, but we’ll need to play at our absolute best to get that done.”