Unwanted results on Saturday threaten to all but extinguish Richmond's AFL finals dream, but coach Damien Hardwick is worried only about St Kilda.
The Tigers tackle the bottom-placed Saints at the MCG on Sunday, a day after Essendon host Gold Coast and Adelaide face North Melbourne.
Should the Bombers and Crows both get up, Richmond will remain ninth even if they post an eight straight victory.
To slip into the finals, the Tigers would need to overwhelm Sydney at ANZ Stadium but also bank on Adelaide or Essendon slipping up in the final round against St Kilda and Carlton respectively.
"It's not something I worry about," Hardwick said.
"My son BJ is doing a ladder predictor on a nightly basis, but he's got us finishing third.
"Obviously our guys will be looking at some results.
"But the reality is we've just got to win footy games and whatever happens, happens."
And Hardwick suggested that will be hard enough against the Saints without worrying about percentage.
"We'll just be looking for the win. If you don't come to play against any side in this competition, you'll get your pants pulled down," he said.
Essendon currently sit a game and 1.3 percentage points above Richmond on the ladder, while the Crows are level on wins but enjoy a percentage buffer the Tigers won't be able to bridge.
Hardwick had mixed feelings while talking finals football on Thursday, a topic he didn't need to broach in June when his sputtering Tigers had a 3-10 win-loss record.
"Any side that doesn't make the eight will always be disappointed and we'd be no different," said Hardwick, whose charges finished a win outside the top four in 2013.
"More importantly, we'll learn lessons regardless.
"We're still short of where we need to be, but more importantly they've found that steely resolve that our fans were looking for ...it would have been quite easy for this group to pack it up (at 3-10)."
HOW RICHMOND CAN MAKE THE EIGHT
* If they defeat St Kilda and Sydney:
- Will need Adelaide to lose once in the next fortnight
- Or Essendon to lose twice
- Or Essendon to lose once, but by such a margin that the percentage gap is closed
*If they defeat only St Kilda:
- Will need Adelaide to lose twice in the next fortnight
- Or Essendon to lose twice, but by such margins that the percentage gap is closed.
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