‘BATTLE HARDENED’ Richmond are enjoying their final knockout foray into ‘Fortress Alberton’, provided captain Katie Brennan gets the coin toss right.

Sunday’s game against Port Adelaide will be the first time the Tigers have played in Adelaide since joining the AFLW in 2020.

On Wednesday they sent staff from the football department to explore the facilities at Alberton Oval.

Port have a huge home advantage, with more than 4,000 enthusiastic Power fans cheering them on at home last Sunday in their come-from-behind win over Greater Western Sydney.

An extra couple of thousand fans are expected at the ground on Sunday and this is reminiscent of Alberton’s glory days in the SANFL, when it was one of the most feared away trips in the league.

But first, if conditions are windy, Brennan has some club history against him.

When Trent Cotchin won the toss at Adelaide Oval for the 2014 AFL playoff final against Port, he had the Tigers kicking in a strong wind.

The Power got off to a good start and won the game at quarter time.

“Tell me more, I’ll have to follow up,” Brennan said smiling Thursday when asked about that game.

Richmond had their revenge, beating Port at Adelaide Oval in the 2020 preliminary final on their way to the AFL premiership.

Regardless of Alberton’s history and challenges, Brennan is relishing his return to the finals.

Richmond’s only AFLW finals were a straight sets exit in season seven.

“We’re certainly digging behind the scenes and preparing incredibly well, but also getting back to ourselves, getting back to our strengths, getting back to the football we know we can play,” Brennan said.

“We’re excited to play. There’s no better feeling than finals football and passionate fans and just the opportunity to be alive at this point in the season.

“It’s something we’ll accept. We’ve played in front of some crowds before and it won’t be any different.

“So we’ll just look to play to our strengths and focus on ourselves.”

Richmond have had a solid run to the final, with games against Geelong, Melbourne, Essendon and Hawthorn Brennan calling “hot”.

They also beat Port earlier this season, the last time the Power lost before their six-game winning streak.

“We feel like we’re in a really good place. We’ve played, in our eyes, probably among the top four or six teams coming into this and we’ve had some games that are high pressure,” Brennan said.

“We’ve been able to grow our game in different areas and faced some high-pressure situations. We feel like we’re battle-hardened and we’ve grown every week because of it.

“We are optimistic about our season.”

Brennan was doubtful a fortnight ago with an ankle injury but has continued to play and the former Western Bulldogs star will reach his 50th cap for Richmond on Sunday.

“It’s been handled a little bit along the way. It’s okay, it’ll be perfect for Sunday,” Brennan said of his ankle.