RICHMOND will wait until the round 15 bye before reassessing what is possible this season after a "tough and gritty" road win against Fremantle put it back in finals contention.
The Tigers handled the slippery conditions at Optus Stadium better than their fancied opponents and held off a late charge to win by 15 points, securing a second consecutive win away from home.
DOCKERS v TIGERS Full match coverage and stats
Interim coach Andrew McQualter said the Tigers would look to get past St Kilda in premiership hero Trent Cotchin's 300th game next Saturday before focusing on what they might be capable of this year.
"It was a tough win. Freo we know they're a good side and they really challenged us at times. And I think the overarching thing is it was just a really tough, gritty win," he said.
"We've had two weeks on the road and we spoke about during the week we really like traveling, we really come together as a team. We were challenged and it was just tough.
"We understood it was an important game and we want to win every game, we've spoken about that. But we've got one more game before the bye, so we'll just knuckle down and get to that game and then reassess."
McQualter paid tribute to star midfielder Shai Bolton, who played the entire final quarter and finished with 33 disposals, 11 inside 50s, and the final goal of the game in a match-winning performance.
"It was a great game by Shai. Most times he comes to Western Australia he has a pretty good game," he said.
"We tried to get him to the bench, but he didn't come to the bench at all in that last quarter … in hindsight, it was good decision for him to stay on."
On midfield sidekick Tim Taranto, who set the Tigers up at the coalface with 22 of his 35 disposals in the first half, McQualter said: "He just keeps getting the job done."
"It was a great game of footy from 'Bones' … he has just an unbelievable workrate, probably as good as anyone I've ever seen, his ability to continue to work and be consistent."
The Tigers adjusted to the slippery conditions better, with Fremantle coach Justin Longmuir disappointed with his team's inability to stop their opponents getting goal side and using their speed.
"We didn't execute the plan. As simple as that," he said.
"We allowed them goal side too easily, we got too flat at contests, and we didn't handle the conditions well enough in the first half, which allowed them to get momentum.
"And then once they got momentum, we weren't able to halt that momentum through execution of the basics really and they were able to speed up.
"It was really disappointing, that part of the game, because we went in with a plan and we didn't execute."
The Dockers made adjustments at half-time, Longmuir said, and fought their way back into the game, with young star Jye Amiss cutting the margin to seven points early in the final term when he kicked his fourth goal.
Poor execution under pressure and composure, however, cost them when the game was up for grabs.
"I was happy with the fight, but there's some stuff in the first quarter that we just can't cop," Longmuir said.
"I think experience comes into that a little bit. They had 15 100-gamers to three. We haven't been confronted with all these experiences that Richmond has."
The Dockers confirmed that midfielder James Aish suffered concussion in a heavy collision with Rhyan Mansell, with the in-form wingman to miss next Saturday's clash against Greater Western Sydney.
Longmuir said small forward Michael Walters would be available to play a full game after igniting the Dockers once he was injected as the substitute during the third quarter.
