Richmond coach Terry Wallace says there is no doubt his team has made significant improvement over the second half of the 2008 season, regardless of whether or not it results in a long-awaited finals appearance for the Tigers.

The Tigers recorded their seventh win in the past ten matches by outlasting a gallant and undermanned Fremantle by seven points at the MCG on Saturday to close to within half a game of the top eight as the club kept alive its hopes of only a third finals appearance since 1982 and its first since 2001.

But the Tigers still need other results to go their way and indeed their finals hopes could even be extinguished by the end of this round if Collingwood and St Kilda both win their matches in the penultimate round of the season against Sydney and Adelaide respectively.

Wallace said that all the Tigers could do now was ensure they win their final round game against likely wooden spooners Melbourne and try not to worry about the other results they need to fall their way to make the eight.

"I spoke to the (playing) group and I said 'all we can control is winning our next game," he said.

"If we are alive (going in round 22), we are alive and we will wait until the end of the weekend to see where that sits but we have no control over that."

But even if the Tigers again fail to miss the eight - the club has run ninth on five occasions in the past 14 years - Wallace has no doubt last year's wooden spooners have laid a foundation for future success.

"In reality we have been consistent over the second half of the year," Wallace said.

"We went through a run of five (wins) out of seven (matches) and then came up against Geelong and Adelaide and had two losses. But then we have been able to rebound with two wins (against Hawthorn and Fremantle)."

"So I think our consistency has got better in the latter part of the season, but in saying that we have had a better run with the draw in the latter part of the season than we had in the first half of the season."

Wallace was also pleased with the way his side was still able to win on Saturday despite a below-par performance against a Fremantle team missing late withdrawal Matthew Pavlich as well as his fellow star forward Chris Tarrant.

Indeed Wallace described his defence - which was so impressive against Hawthorn the week before - as 'a bit wobbly' but again reminded all and sundry that the Tigers had 11 players in their line-up - including most of their defence - with 50 games or fewer under their belt.

"From our point of view we didn't think we played well but you don't always play well and it (the game) is not always (played) on your terms."

"But in the last quarter our boys found a way to win the game, which is the most important thing.