From Dimma's press conference today ... There's no doubt last week's landslide win will count for little if the Tigers can't bring the same level of intensity against an opponent that is in a similar position to them.
Hardwick said they had spoken about that fact after the game and were ready to face a side that was suffering the same inconsistent struggles with its forward line.
"I think both sides have been playing below the standard of expectation," he said.
"We're both in a similar boat – we're ticking over a few wins but we're not playing anywhere near the expectation our fans, coaching staff and players have expected.
"I think we can see our game is starting to get back up and going. We probably played more to the style of last year that people are more keen on seeing and we're keen on playing.
"We look forward to seeing that on Saturday."
Hardwick said the Tigers' ball movement and scoring ability had been better against the Giants but compared their recent attacking woes to that of the Dons.
He said the Bombers had also been stymied by players performing as individuals and not as a collective, with the often talked-about plight of Jake Carlisle similar to what Jack Riewoldt has endured.
While the coach admitted he wouldn't mind having a player like Carlisle at Punt Road, he hoped it wasn't on Saturday night that the combination of the reluctant forward and Joe Daniher fired.
"They've got a formidable forward line and probably like us it hasn't been functioning well," he said.
"Eventually their goals will come – I just hope it's not this week against us."
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-05-29/maric-set-to-stand-tall