Richmond faces the West Coast Eagles at the MCG on Sunday afternoon, in the annual Alannah & Madeline Foundation match.
Here are some burning questions that could determine the result of the game.
Can Tigers maintain strong recent form against the Eagles?
Richmond’s recent history against West Coast has been a fruitful one, with the Tigers winning the past three meetings, and eight of the last nine.
In Round 8 in Perth, Richmond recorded its first win of 2026 against West Coast. 2025's victories were also memorable, with a 49-point triumph in WA and a thrilling two-point victory, thanks to Tom Brown’s game-saving tackle in the middle of the MCG.
A key element to the previous meeting between these sides this season was the Tigers’ efficiency inside-50. While Richmond lost the overall inside-50 count 64-48, they had an inside-50 efficiency percentage of 54.2, making the most of its attacking opportunities.
The Tigers also stepped up when the game was on the line, kicking three of the final four goals to secure the four-points.
Revenge is on the mind of the Eagles, though, with their coach Andrew McQualter aware of the recent history.
"I'm sick of losing to them, for sure. I am, it's three times in a row. I want to beat them," McQualter said on Thursday.
"We expect the best of them every time when we play them, and the Tigers have got up for every time we've played them and been very competitive.”
Richmond will need to attack Sunday’s contest with a strong intent and focus, as West Coast will be determined to record its first MCG win since 2021.
Who wins the battle of the number one picks?
Some of the best young talent in the AFL will be on show, with the past three number one picks sharing the field together on Sunday.
Sam Lalor is increasing his minutes and impact after recovering from his Achilles injury, while Harley Reid and Willem Duursma have been in impressive form.
Lalor’s class was on display last week when he nailed a running goal from just inside 50, after receiving a handball from Jack Ross. In his two games since returning, Lalor has been attending centre bounces, gaining important midfield exposure, while also adding four score involvements in both matches.
With another week of training under his belt, it’ll be exciting to see what Lalor can deliver on Sunday against Reid and Duursma, with respect high amongst the trio.
Can Tigers defence stand tall?
Richmond’s backline will be bolstered on Sunday with the return of key defender Ben Miller, who has missed the last two games with a heel issue.
Miller joins a defensive unit that had some strong individual performances last weekend, including Nick Vlastuin, who recorded a season-high 27 disposals, season-high 22 effective disposals, equal season-high 10 contested possessions, season-high 11 marks, equal season-high nine rebound-50s, eight intercepts, and 362 metres gained.
Jayden Short, Nathan Broad, Tom Brown and Sam Banks also had good moments, while youngsters Kye Annand and Luke Trainor gained experience playing on key forwards.
With Miller returning, Richmond has another important magnet to utilise against dangerous Eagle forwards Jake Waterman and Jobe Shanahan, in what could be a result-determining match-up.
