Confident Tigers look for 5-0 AFL start

Apr 23, 2017 - 5:44 PM Richmond star Dustin Martin is set to shake off groin soreness to help the Tigers' bid to keep their unbeaten start to the AFL season going.

Damien Hardwick's men have the chance to improve to 5-0 when they face Melbourne in a tantalising match-up at the MCG on Monday night.

Martin had scans this week after he pulled up sore following his side's thumping 52-point win over Brisbane.

But he trained at Punt Road on Sunday, with Hardwick confident he is fit to tackle the Demons.

Richmond's eye-catching start to this campaign is a far cry from the faltering openings to recent seasons.

"We're really confident in the way that we're playing ... it's a sustainable brand of footy," Hardwick said.

"(But) there are still going to be some inconsistencies in our game.

"We probably didn't play as consistently as we would have liked against Brisbane but we were able to get our game back on track through effort and intensity.

"If the players bring that most weeks I'll be pretty happy as a coach and I think our fans will be rapt to see that.

"Our defensive pressure and tackle pressure has been very good and if we bring that against Melbourne then there's no doubt we're a fair chance of winning the game."

Hardwick brought in Oleg Markov to replace Nick Vlastuin, who is out with a concussion.

Demons coach Simon Goodwin made four unforced changes, with star forward Jesse Hogan returning after serving a two-match suspension.

The Tigers have lost heir past three encounters with Melbourne, who will present them with one of the sterner challenges they've faced so far.

"They've changed the way they play a bit under Goodi," Hardwick said.

"They've become more uncontested and their ability to control the game by foot is probably the thing that has been noticeable.

"I think they're leading the league in uncontested marks so we've got to make sure that we deny them time in possession."

Former Essendon defender Michael Hibberd will play his first game for Melbourne after overcoming Achilles tendon soreness, with Jay Kennedy-Harris and Tim Smith recalled.

Source: AAP