Matthew Richardson previews Friday night's qualifying final clash against Brisbane at the Gabba.

1. Centre Bounce at the Gabba

Heading into Friday night’s qualifying final, Richmond will want to get ahead in the centre clearance differential. The Gabba is a short ground measuring in at 156m in length, comparatively, the MCG is 161m. The Tigers won the centre clearance count 11-7 against the Crows in Round 18, and will look to take advantage of the Gabba’s shorter length against Brisbane.

2. Shedda and Shai

There hasn’t been many opportunities for Shane Edwards and Shai Bolton to play alongside each other in the midfield. Shai Bolton has emerged this year as a clearance specialist while Edwards only recently re-joined the team in Round 18 when Bolton was rested. This exciting Tiger combination could prove very damaging.

3. Rock-Solid Defence

The Tigers were the second stingiest defence in the AFL, only giving up seven more points than Port Adelaide at number one. The back seven have been bolstered by the emergence of Noah Balta and the return of David Astbury. With Dylan Grimes and Nick Vlastuin also in strong form, the Tiger defence is looking rock solid.