Richmond forward Jason Castagna says the Tigers will be out to look after any of their midfielders who cop a tough tag in Saturday’s AFL grand final.
In round three, GWS tagger Matt de Boer restricted Dustin Martin to 15 disposals and got under his skin, with the star Tiger suspended for striking Adam Kennedy off the ball and also fined for flipping the bird and making snorting gestures.
“(It’s) maybe not so much a lesson but more a reminder that we need to look after our blokes,” Castagna told AAP.
“And if Dusty’s getting tagged or if it’s Cotch (Trent Cotchin) or whoever, then we’ll just look out for them and give them the support they need.”
The Giants forced their way into the grand final with three aggressive performances but Castagna said the Tigers were prepared for whatever their opponent threw at them.
“They’ve looked like they’ve kind of really tried to physically impose themselves during the finals, so we’ll expect that again,” he said.
“And I’m sure we’ll deal with it fine, I’m just looking forward to the challenge.”
The Tigers had to grind through a tough preliminary final against Geelong and Castagna said that gritty performance would hold them in good stead for Saturday.
“I think we’ve definitely looked at it as a positive thing – having a tough game before the grand final,” he said.
“I think having a real grind and having them get the jump on us early and then us fighting back will just give us belief if we find ourselves in that position again that we can come back and win.”
In 2017 Castagna was in his first consistent AFL season when he found himself caught up in a remarkable ride to a breakthrough premiership.
Now he’s part of a team that experienced disappointment in 2018 and is hungry for redemption.
“It feels good this time around. It seems like it was a lot harder – that prelim was a real grind and I guess being there in 2017, (then) missing 2018, I realised it’s not that easy. I’m really pumped to be there again,” he said.
“I’ve learned a heap. I guess 2017 (was) my first consistent year of footy – I was just trying to cement my spot and a flag came up.
“But another two years under my belt, I feel a lot more poised and ready to take the finals on and a grand final.”