Richmond will look to bounce back against Euro-Yroke with a win this Sunday at Marvel Stadium.
Here are some burning questions that could determine the result of the game.
Can Richmond nullify ruck duo Tom De Koning and Rowan Marshall?
With Tigers skipper Toby Nankervis still sidelined, Richmond's Noah Balta and Oliver Hayes-Brown will compete with in-form Saints ruck duo, Tom De Koning and Rowan Marshall.
Balta has shouldered the responsibility of the centre bounce in the last few weeks along with Hayes-Brown, who has three AFL games under his belt.
Hayes-Brown competed valiantly last week against Adelaide, finishing with nine hit-outs, while his counterpart in Balta also had eight hit-outs with 268 meters gained.
Coach Adem Yze acknowledged the ruck battle this weekend and is confident with how the pairing has been working together to generate more clearances at stoppage for the side.
“Noah Balta’s gone in there and working with Ollie Hayes-Brown, our ruck craft is getting better, our synergy within that is getting better,” Yze said.
“Our stoppage numbers, our ruck numbers, and our clearance numbers have gotten better and better over the last month, so that battle's always going to be really important.
“Noah and Ollie have given us some opportunity in there. You want to win territory, you want to have the opportunity to lock the ball in your front half and to do that, you need to win clearance.
“We'll be up against it on the weekend, it'll be a good battle inside, and hopefully that gives us the supply that we want.”
What impact can debutant Noah Roberts-Thomson have?
Richmond’s 54th pick in the 2025 draft, Noah Roberts-Thomson, will make his much-anticipated debut in the yellow and black this Sunday.
Roberts-Thomson has impressed at VFL level, where he had a dominant performance in the Round 7 clash with Williamstown, amassing 18 disposals, along with four goals.
Yze said the forward has earned his opportunity at AFL level and is hoping he can be a strong presence.
"He had a great game in the VFL on the weekend. He deserves his opportunity and I can't wait to see what he can do on an AFL field," Yze said.
"He's a highly talented little forward. He can come up to stoppage and help out; he played midfield in the VFL on the weekend. He was knocking on the door early in the season. Last week he played really well. He gets a chance to go and start his AFL career.
"He's been working really closely with Luke Breust on some of the crumbing techniques and his smarts around goal. Hopefully we can see that at Marvel."
Can Tigers win the contest battle?
Richmond has improved its clearance work recently and Yze hopes it will continue on Sunday, with Saints coach Ross Lyon also acknowledging the power of the Tigers’ midfield.
“We understand they (Richmond) have a big injury list, but their midfield is quite powerful. (Jacob) Hopper, (Jack) Ross and (Tim) Taranto are playing really well," Lyon said.
"(They have) dangerous small forwards, big key forward Tom Lynch. Balta is really powerful. (Nick) Vlastuin and (Nathan) Broad hold that young defence together."
Along with an uplift in clearance, Richmond will hope to keep moving the ball quickly under the roof at Marvel, as the Tigers' handball metres gained number continues to improve.
“You're looking at the speed of ball movement in every game. There are certain games that the teams don't allow that, and they obviously deny that, and you have to kick your way through it," Yze said.
“The handball meters gained and uncontested marks are parts of the game that you want to be good at."
