Battle heats up for eighth

You could be excused for thinking the finals had come early this week as the four clubs battling it out for eighth place take each other on in two fascinating head-to-head clashes this Saturday in the first half of the split round.

With just one game separating eighth-placed North Melbourne from 11th-placed Richmond - with nine rounds remaining - the stakes are high, particularly with the top seven spots in the finals looking secure.

But while the two key matches might carry similar stakes, they will be played out in vastly-contrasting atmospheres.

The eighth-placed 'Roos take on ninth-placed St Kilda on the Gold Coast on Saturday night knowing if they lose, the Saints will take their place in the top eight, with both Ross Lyon's team and 10th-placed Carlton just half a game further back.

But while the Roos-Saints will be lucky to draw 12,000 fans on neutral territory at Carrara, the other mini elimination final between arch-rivals Richmond and Carlton at the MCG on Saturday afternoon is a genuine blockbuster.

That match coincides with the Tigers' celebrations of their 100 years in the competition, with Richmond hoping for a crowd of 100,000 at the 'G on Saturday.

And to think prior to wins over Melbourne and Port, the club's first back-to-back wins since 2006, the Tigers seemed to be going nowhere and coach Terry Wallace was fighting for his survival.

"We were under a lot of pressure a fortnight ago and the players handled that as well as what could be expected and just got on with what they needed to and that is playing footy to the best of their abilities," Wallace said.

Wallace said this week's clash would go a long way towards finding out if the Tigers are a legitimate finals contender after making just two appearances in the finals since 1982.

"We find out if we are any closer to bridging that gap - that is absolutely fair," Wallace said.

"We all want to be in the top eight so we won't be satisfied until we are back playing finals footy."

Carlton coach Brett Ratten is also looking forward to the clash.

"It's a great challenge for both teams," he said. "We're pretty much on the same points, important part of the year, going into the (mid-season) break, we both need a win and a what great time to do it."

While Wallace and Ratten were eager to talk up Saturday's clash at the MCG, Kangaroos coach Dean Laidley is trying to downplay the importance of his team's clash with the Saints, despite knowing it will fall from the eight if it loses.

"I don't think we can get caught up in that (worrying about holding onto eighth spot) because if we worry about winning or losing and don't worry about doing what we are supposed to do then we can get our pants pulled down," he said.

The Tigers-Blues and Roos-Saints clashes dominate the first half of Round 14 in which just six matches will be played with Hawthorn taking on West Coast at the MCG on Friday night and the Western Bulldogs hosting Port Adelaide in Darwin on Saturday night. On Sunday, Melbourne hosts Brisbane at the MCG and Fremantle meets Essendon at Subiaco.