Richmond’s depth has been tested in 2019 but they can still roar towards AFL finals thanks to their unheralded young talent.

Tigers half-back flanker Derek Eggmolesse-Smith will make his AFL debut against the Gold Coast on Saturday, while the senior careers of Sydney Stack and Maboir Chol keep rolling on.

The trio were nowhere near Richmond’s best side at the start of the season but coach Damien Hardwick has called on the squad’s depth kept his side in the top eight.

The Gold Coast marks the Tigers final road trip of the season before they play seven straight games at the MCG. Hardwick said there would be no complacency against the bottom-placed Suns.

“The one thing we do within our four walls is we challenge the players mentally every week, it’s one thing we work incredibly hard on,” Hardwick said.

“The players are very good at understanding what makes them tick and how to get the best performance against their opponent each week.

“You look at every coach that has spoken about the Gold Coast and the way they play the game, there is enormous respect for the way they’re going about it because they’re hard, they’re tough to beat.

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us and certainly have to play at our best.”

The Suns have lost 10 games in a row but coach Stuart Dew remains upbeat he has the players to stifle Richmond’s run into the finals.

“Although the win column hasn’t ticked over, we’re certainly seeing some improvement in individuals,” Dew said.

“Richmond are certainly getting some names back but I think their system is impressive as well and they’re starting to build. At different times Damien has said himself he hasn’t been happy with how they’re playing but since the bye they’ve been nice and fresh.”

Suns rookie Josh Corbett added: “We’re obviously disappointed. Sometimes we’re not playing four quarters of football but there’s good patches in every game we play. If we bring four quarters we’re confident that will be able to stand up against most teams.”