Of Richmond's team to play the Cats, Matthew Richardson and Ray Hall carried niggles from last week's loss to Port Adelaide during the week, while inclusions Brad Ottens and Royce Vardy also had question marks beside their names.

That only heightened yesterday when Richardson, Hall and Vardy all left training early, but Frawley dispelled any doubt.

``Hall, Vardy and Richardson will play, they all didn't finish training but they will play,'' he said.

``They're all putting their hand up and as a coach that's all you can ask: `Are they ready to go and put their hand up for the club and the boys?', so they're playing.''

Frawley said Ottens, returning from a calf injury, was ``100 per cent injury-wise, but not fitness-wise''.

``That's why it's great that Ray Hall's been able to come up because without Greg Stafford (suspension) it was looking pretty ill there for a while . . . in the ruck against a quality opposition in Steven King,'' he said.

Matthew Knights was one definite absentee, dropped despite being poised to become only the third player in history - after Tiger Kevin Bartlett and Fitzroy champion Kevin Murray - to twice play 100 successive games.

Frawley made no apologies for omitting the former captain.

``Everyone's accountable. Matty's taken it on the chin, he's going to go back to the VFL and perform and he'll be back in,'' he said. ``He's very disappointed and why wouldn't you be?''

Frawley said Richmond was under enormous pressure, but after training in the wet, he said the Tigers would relish wet conditions at the MCG today.

``Whoever wants the ball is going to win the game . . . the inspiration is going to be under the packs tomorrow,'' he said.