The Tigers have a unique record against Hawthorn in recent years despite having won only two if the past eight meetings between the two sides, both of which occurred in years Hawthorn went on to make the Grand Final.

Last year, the Tigers famously beat the Hawks in Round 9 by 62 points, sparking a run of eight wins for the Hawks.

Hawthorn players went on the record later in that year as saying the loss to Richmond gave it a reality check and was part of the reasons for its success in 2012.

The players even drew on that Round 9 match in the lead-up to the Grand Final against the Swans, with Grant Birchall believing it was the reason behind the Club’s rise from a middle-tier side to the league’s bench mark.

"After our Richmond loss early on in the season, the consistency of our effort across four quarters has been a lot better," Birchall said before the 2012 Grand Final.

"We work very hard as a team and pride ourselves on our contested footy and getting it forward.

"Consistency over four quarters, particularly after the Richmond loss has been a real highlight for us."

After the loss, the Hawks went on to lose only two more matches for the year after slumping to five wins and four losses and teetering on the edge of the eight.

Those losses came at the hands of Geelong and Sydney in the Grand Final.

In 2008, Richmond also upset Hawthorn, this time in Round 20 – Hawthorn’s last loss of the 2008 season.

The Tigers beat the Hawks by 29 points and denied it any chance of securing the minor premiership from Geelong.

The Hawks went on to win its next five games, including the Qualifying and Preliminary Finals before famously defeating Geelong in the Grand Final to be crowned 2008’s premier side.