AFL Tigers tackle burden of expectationGreg Buckle
AAP
June 14, 2013, 7:35 pmRichmond face two crucial tests on Saturday as the Tigers seek to boost their AFL top-eight hopes and prove they can handle the burden of expectation.
Fresh from last week's bye, the Tigers face five teams outside the eight in the next five rounds - Adelaide, Western Bulldogs, St Kilda, North Melbourne and Gold Coast.
Five wins over the next five weeks would have a huge impact on Richmond's ambition to play finals for the first time since 2001.
However going in as favourites in Saturday's round 12 clash with Adelaide (5-6) at the MCG poses a different challenge for the Tigers (6-4 win-loss).
"Probably the two times we've faced that (this season), we've gone in slightly favourites against Essendon and Collingwood, where the opposition's come off bad losses and we've failed," Richmond assistant coach Justin Leppitsch has told ABC Radio.
"The more you mature as a team and mature as an individual, you tend to not fall for the same tricks any more.
"We don't want to be the sort of team that are only good when the football world and the public think that we're not going that well and we're the underdogs.
"We want to be good when everyone expects us to win. That's what good teams do."
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