Richmond midfielder Richard Tambling says morale remains strong at the AFL club despite their barren start to the season.

The Tigers are yet to win after eight games, losing to Hawthorn by only three points on the weekend.

Their next opponent will be Essendon in Saturday night's annual Dreamtime At The 'G match, which pays tribute to the game's strong indigenous influence.

"It's the first time we've put four quarters together and I think the boys were pretty happy with that," Tambling said of the Hawthorn game.

"But at the same time, we're disappointed to come so close to a win.

"We're trying to build winning behaviours around the club, so we're going to keep the morale up." Saturday's match is seen as a strong chance for Richmond to break their losing run, given Essendon's form has been inconsistent.

Tambling, one of the game's top indigenous players, said Saturday night would be big for himself personally and the Tigers.

"It's definitely an important game, it's probably the marquee game of the year for Richmond," he said.

"For myself, it's a really important game, it represents the past and present indigenous players and what they've done within the AFL."

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