Richmond have the core of players ready to take the AFL club to a finals series, but the question is whether that will come this season.
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick believes he has assembled the core of a team ready to take the club to its next AFL finals series.
Whether that's this year Hardwick doesn't know, but the Tigers coach is confident a side growing in confidence, scalps and admirers is on the verge of great things.
Poised at 5-5 and 10th despite the plaudits from two outstanding victories in a row, the Tigers are likely to need 13 wins for the season to make the top eight.
That would require eight wins from their remaining 12 home-and-away games.
A difficult early-season draw is clearing, with Fremantle - struggling for wins and consistency and historically poor in Melbourne - next at the MCG on Saturday.
But as Hardwick attempts to keep his players on the right side of the line between growing confidence and over-confidence, he believes they are strong enough to focus on their weekly jobs and remain so despite hype from outside.
"We've got the players to take us wherever we need to go," Hardwick said on Thursday.
"The core group is here that's going to take Richmond, I think, to its next finals campaign.
"That group's here. We've just got to keep adding players along the way. I've got no doubt they'll get there at some stage."
Hardwick likens the Tigers to 2012 surprise packets Adelaide, inside the top four at 8-2 and channeling their confidence into on-field results.
"It's amazing when the confidence of a group grows - and we're probably no different - you probably play a little bit outside yourself at stages," he said.
"And Adelaide are showing that at the moment. They're playing some outstanding footy that no one saw coming, apart from them internally.
"We're probably a little bit the same. We know it's there.
"We've just got to keep building on what we do well, eradicate some deficiencies that we know are there, and we'll keep getting the results we're after.
"We're 5-5 sitting 10th. We're not even in the eight. We're a long way short of where we want to go and a long way short of where we want to be."
Hardwick is wary of Fremantle's players - affected by early-season injuries - starting to find their rhythm, especially in last weekend's loss to Adelaide in which the Dockers launched a big comeback only to fall short.
"They're starting to get their players back and playing to a standard (coach) Ross (Lyon) would like.
"We've got no doubt they're going to be a tough ask."
The Tigers this week have taken their membership beyond 50,000 - believing it is a critical step in reaching their ambitious target of 75,000 members by 2014.
