Tigers urged to embrace AFL finals hype

Sep 11, 2017 - 5:34 PM The Tiger Army is on the march after Richmond's stunning qualifying final win and coach Damien Hardwick has urged his players to embrace the hype.

The yellow-and-black faithful were in full voice at a packed MCG on Friday night when Richmond scored their first finals win since 2001 - the first of Hardwick's coaching career.

With fans daring to dream of a drought-breaking flag - they last saluted in 1980 - the Tigers are the talk of the town in Melbourne

In the past, Hardwick would have been at pains to play down the external noise, but he's chosen a different approach in his fourth finals campaign.

"We've spoken to our players ... just embrace it - it's going to be there regardless," Hardwick told the Seven Network's Talking Footy on Monday night.

"You walk down the street, you get a cup of coffee, you're going to have conversations, but when we're in our (club's) four walls get to work.

"We've been pretty easygoing with it all ... there are going to be interviews, there are going to be things the players have to do. It's just part and parcel of the environment that we're in.

"Finals are great; we want to be a part of them, we're glad to be back and we want to enjoy it."

Friday's night's final was a Geelong home game, but Richmond fans made up the majority of the 95,028-strong crowd as they turned out en masse to loudly support their team.

Hardwick said it was hard not to get swept up in the emotion of the occasion.

"It was amazing how loud it was, especially as the game started to go our way in the last quarter," Hardwick said.

"The murmur got a bit louder and then the crescendo - it was a fantastic experience.

"I've been privileged to be a part of some big games but when the Richmond crowd gets up and going I don't think there's anything louder."

The Tigers will play the winner of the Greater Western Sydney-West Coast semi-final at the MCG on Saturday week.

Source: AAP