HEAD TO HEAD: Richmond 16 wins, Brisbane Lions 18 wins, Draws 1
LAST TIME: Richmond 15.15 (105) d Brisbane Lions 12.14 (86), round 13, 2010, at the Gabba
A full replay will be available on afl.com.au 12 hours after the completion of the match
FORM - Richmond: WLLDL Brisbane Lions: LBLLL
SUMMARY
The Tigers broke through for their first win since round 18, 2010, on Sunday evening in their clash against North Melbourne despite the Kangaroos leading by 13 points at the final change. Led by Jack Riewoldt (five goals) and Dustin Martin (four goals and 33 touches - 12 contested), the Tigers refused to lie down and showed what can happen when players such as the previously-mentioned duo, Trent Cotchin, Robbie Nahas and former Bomber Bachar Houli fire together.
The Tigers could have easily entered round six with three wins to their name instead of one, given the close nature of their round one loss to Carlton and following week's draw with St Kilda.
The Lions remain as one of two sides yet to win a game this season after Gold Coast's inspiring victory against Port Adelaide on Saturday. Despite their four losses (and one bye), there was a lot to like about the Lions' most recent performance against St Kilda given the way a raft of their young players stood up. They led by five points at three-quarter time, and despite losing by 13, would be heartened by the games of Tom Rockliff, Jack Redden and Matthew Leuenberger, and experienced backman Daniel Merrett.
Rohan Bewick sustained a back injury and Daniel Rich took a minor hip problem into the game but both are expected to face the Tigers. They are also one week closer to regaining Jonathan Brown, who is scheduled to return from facial fractures in round nine.
QUESTION MARKS
In the game where the Tigers regained backmen Luke McGuane and Alex Rance from suspension, they lost Daniel Jackson for a week for a strike on Scott Thompson. Can Damien Hardwick get his players to find a tidy balance between aggression and indiscipline?
The Lions might not have won a game but they've lost three now they could have easily won - against Fremantle, Melbourne and St Kilda. Can they finally break through against a side that, like theirs, haven't quite put four quarters together yet?
Michael Voss used Matthew Leuenberger in the forward line at times during Thursday night's game and will continue to do so until Brown's return. The big ruckman booted four behinds but took three contested marks. Can he find the big sticks this week and become an attacking weapon in tandem with Mitch Clark?
TOYOTA AFL DREAM TEAM WATCH:
All aboard the Dustin Martin train - the tenacious Tiger is proving to be both a cash cow with an increase of $31,200 and a handy points getter. His average is now 101 per game after a huge score of 141 against the Roos. It's also a good time to consider adding Brett Deledio to your team. He's dropped over $20k from round one but his average is slowly climbing after 118 against Collingwood and 98 against North.
For the Lions, Simon Black is in a similar boat having come off $25,300 since the start of the season after taking a big hit in round three. He scored 96 against the Saints and could be worth looking at after a slow start to the season while Redden and Rockliff continue to ascend price-wise with averages of 112 and 106 respectively.
Follow afl.com.au's live coverage of the game in the AFL Match Centre, and join the conversation on Twitter using #afltigerslions.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.