Richmond coach Damien Hardwick has praised North Melbourne's form and highlighted the threat of its key forwards.

Speaking of the Roos’ potent three-pronged attack, Hardwick said an even spread is the reason they’ve been able to trouble opposition defences.

"(Drew) Petrie we know is a very good player but the arrival of (Robbie) Tarrant and (Lachlan) Hansen has certainly got our hands full."

Hardwick acknowledges it poses a difficult question for the Tigers; who will line up on who?

"We've got (Alex) Rance thereabouts, (Ben) Griffiths will hopefully come back into the side and Kel Moore played his first game back (last week) so we think we've got the cattle there to marshal those blokes but we've just got to stem the flow and their long balls inside 50.”

The two sides are on differing paths with Richmond having struggled since the bye, while North has gone from strength to strength.

"They're probably the form side of the competition at the moment being four and one in their last five. There's some players that are playing some outstanding footy. It's going to be a real test but after the weekend we've had we're certainly looking forward to it," Hardwick said.

Dustin Martin also makes his comeback to the senior side after a two-game suspension. With a good record against North in previous matches he will be one of the keys to the result on Sunday.