Having watched the Tigers slip to 12th spot after losses to the Gold Coast Suns and the Western Bulldogs and limp over the line against Carlton, Richardson said on Sunday ‘‘there’s been no improvement’’ in a team crunched in last year’s elimination final by Carlton.

But on Tuesday he insisted the Tigers could yet rebound and torpedo the likes of Hawthorn, Geelong and Fremantle.

‘‘There’s no doubt in my mind that the Tigers’ best is good enough to beat any team in the competition. They’ve shown that over the past couple of years, with convincing victories over premiership sides Hawthorn and Sydney,’’ he said.

‘‘Unfortunately, however, the gap between good Richmond and bad Richmond is just way too wide at the moment.

‘‘Allowing the Bulldogs to race away to a six-goal lead by half-time was simply unacceptable.

‘‘Sure, the Tigers showed admirable fight after that, and played well to eventually hit the front for a brief time late in the game, but they should never have put themselves in such a difficult position.’’

Critiquing the team on the Tigers’ website, Richardson said the challenge was now to tame Collingwood in Friday night’s blockbuster at the MCG, having not beaten the Magpies in their past six clashes.

The Tigers’ last win was in August 2007 - when Terry Wallace was coach and Brett Deledio booted five goals.

‘‘The Tigers have been high on the football critics’ agenda since last Saturday, and they will remain so throughout the week, in the build-up to Friday night’s clash,’’ Richardson said.

‘‘But, rather than see that as a negative, the Richmond players should turn it into a positive. What better way to silence the knockers than beat a team we haven’t won a game against for seven years! They should be embracing the challenge ... ’’

It was captain Trent Cotchin’s turn to front the media on Tuesday, with the midfield maestro insisting he is receiving enough on-field help despite his team’s inconsistent start to the season.

Cotchin has been in superb touch and is ranked No. 1 at Punt Road for disposals, contested and uncontested possession, goal assists and inside-50s.

While he had 28 disposals, including 19 contested possessions, 11 clearances and five inside-50s against the Bulldogs, this prompted questions whether he was getting enough help in terms of on-field leadership and inspiration, with the likes of veterans Chris Newman and Jake King, midfielder Dan Jackson and key forwards Ty Vickery and Jack Riewoldt under the spotlight.

‘‘I know there has been a lot of press about that over the last couple of days, especially,’’ Cotchin said.

‘‘We expect every one of our players who are playing on the day to play their role. That’s as important as any form of leadership, I think. If we do adhere to our structures and the way we want to play, then we should get the result most of the times.

‘‘I think we saw a number of our players step up on the weekend. Jack had a massive second half. Granted, he would be the first to admit he didn’t play exactly as he wanted to in the first half.

‘‘There are a number of guys who are putting their hand up and playing a role for the team, whether it’s tagging, whether it’s blocking at stoppages, Jack kicking goals up forward. A lot of our senior players are still playing a role within the team; it’s just making sure it’s on a consistent basis.’’

The Tigers will need to find that consistency soon as they prepare for a potentially rugged month, with power clubs Hawthorn and Geelong soon on the menu.

The return of a fit Deledio (ankle) and Shaun Hampson (knee) will obviously help, although football manager Dan Richardson said on Tuesday it was too early to tell whether the pair would return this week.

Riewoldt must also maintain the groove he discovered with four second-half goals against the Bulldogs.

AFL legend Wayne Carey insists Riewoldt must be traded or left to play at full forward, rather than further up the ground as the Tigers have done in recent times, allowing Vickery to be the key marking target. Riewoldt, however, was positioned deep on Saturday and came alive in the second half.

Cotchin, though, wants the attacking 50 to have flexibility.

‘‘We saw Ty Vickery have a big game [against Carlton]. When Shaun Hampson was going down forward, he was good,’’ he said.

‘‘Jack has obviously played a role in a number of games. The good thing about our forward structure now is they can all play different roles. I think that’s important - it can’t be too obvious for the opposition.’’

While there have been claims outside the club the Tigers were content with last year’s finish, Cotchin said the players were ‘‘hungry’’ for success.

Ruckman Ivan Maric, yet to play this season because of an ankle injury, has re-signed until the end of 2016.