Baker in rich vein of form as Tigers prepare for preliminary final blockbuster with Port

Pingaring’s rising star Liam Baker and his Richmond teammates will attempt to reach a third AFL grand final in four years when they tackle Port Adelaide in tomorrow night’s preliminary final at the Adelaide Oval.

Baker was outstanding for the Tigers as they progressed to a fourth straight preliminary final, downing St Kilda by 31 points in last Friday’s semifinal at the Metricon Stadium.

Enjoying a breakthrough season in defence, Baker collected 19 disposals, eight of which were contested, to go with six marks and six intercepts.

Baker played juniors with Lake Grace-Pingrup and was part of the Tigers’ premiership team last year alongside Katanning-born Tiger Shai Bolton.

The 22-year-old Baker has played 18 matches for the Tigers this season and will play a vital role across half-back in the finals blockbuster against the Power.

Bolton will also have a big say in tomorrow night’s preliminary final.

He produced a first-half masterclass up forward and finished with three goals from 11 disposals to help the Tigers go deep into another finals series.

As a result, Bolton received four votes in the Gary Ayres award for the best player of the finals, voted on by the AFL coaches.