Having won just one of their past five games, the Tigers are in real danger of falling out of their finals race, sitting precariously in 13th position on the AFL ladder.
A win on Sunday night is a must.
“There’ll be a few (changes). There’ll be a few forced, we’ve got a couple of injuries obviously. There’s some guys that are playing some reasonable football down below,” Hardwick said.
“We’ve got to make changes and find some players that are prepared to put in that work-rate and that effort.”
A 50-point loss against Essendon was arguably Richmond’s worst of the season. The task doesn’t get any easier this week.
“When they get the game on their terms they (the Kangaroos) are a very, very good side.
“You see how quickly they move the ball… I was watching their game against West Coast and they are a side that you look at and they are a top-four quality side.”
Hardwick is conscious of stopping the supply from the likes of Nick Dal Santo and Aaron Mullett, who won the ball with ease against the Eagles.
“We’ve got to make sure we contain their ball movement – they attack really hard from the back half.
“They play an exciting brand of footy that’s hard to stop when they’re up and going, so we’ll be defensively trying to win it back and impact the scoreboard ourselves.”
The midfield battle will also be vital.
“If you let the Kangaroos dictate the play you are going to get hurt on the scoreboard, so contested ball is going to be crucial against this side this week.”
While the Tigers have been the subject of heavy criticism this week, Hardwick believes their fate is in their own hands.
“We went through a pretty detailed review on Monday about the ability for our players to work to a contest – it was nowhere near the required standard and the standard we set ourselves,” he added.
“Footy is mindset. Every time you play the game, you’ve got to come with a mindset that you’re at the best of your ability week in, week out.
“That’s something that the players control and every player in the AFL is the same. If you come with an attitude that’s nowhere near where it needs to be, you are going to get hurt on the scoreboard.”
Richmond’s more experienced stars have been on the front foot at Punt Road.
“It was a week where Trent (Cotchin) and the leaders took control. They knew exactly what we (the coaches) were talking about after the game, that the work-rate wasn’t there. That’s something the players will drive this week.
“We know that they’ll give a better effort this week.”
At three wins and seven losses, the Tigers are desperate for a win.
“The great thing about our game is we get another week and another opportunity to prove that we are better than what we were last week.
“We’ve just got to get a win on the board. We were disappointing in our game versus them (North) last year. We’ve just got to make sure we get the game more on our terms, rather than letting them dictate the play.”
The inclusion of Nick Vlastuin will be a bonus for Hardwick’s team, but the news isn’t as good for Chris Newman who’ll miss at least another week.
