RICHMOND coach Damien Hardwick says his team's 59-point win over Melbourne at the MCG on Saturday was "reward for effort" after its honourable rounds one and two losses to Carlton and Collingwood.
Hardwick said "25 minutes of poor football" by Richmond had been the difference in those losses and that the 20.13 (133) to 11.8 (74) win over the Demons vindicated the Tigers' hard work over the pre-season.
Five talking points: Richmond v Melbourne
"The guys have worked extremely hard over the course of the summer, [we] have worked on a number of things," Hardwick said.
"The thing with Collingwood and Carlton, they are two extremely strong footy sides. There's a couple of other sides that have a draw similar to ours, so we're really happy that the guys got some reward for effort."
Richmond's first win of 2012 was built on its ability to run the Demons off their feet, which was reflected in its domination of uncontested possessions (292 to the Demons' 151) and handball receives (169 to 69). And, most emphatically, it came on the back of a nine-goal-to-one third term that broke Melbourne's resistance.
The Tigers had led by eight points at half-time, but from the opening minute of the third term to the first minute of the final term, they kicked 10 goals - their last nine consecutive - to lead the Demons by 66 points.
Hardwick downplayed the Tigers' dominance of uncontested possessions, suggesting it reflected their different game style compared to the more contest-orientated Demons, who he noted had taken 18 contested marks to the Tigers' six.
Hardwick put the Tigers' dominant third quarter down to longer and more direct entries into their forward 50, saying they had been "too cute across the arc at stages".
Shaun Grigg was outstanding on a wing for the Tigers. He racked up a game-high 37 possessions and his preparedness to run symbolised the Tigers' dominance.
Robbie Nahas was equally impressive in the Tigers' forward line, the small forward's speed and evasive tricks bamboozling Melbourne's defence. Nahas finished with 2.2 but set up several other goals for Richmond with his forward pressure and deft passing.
The Tigers had plenty of other stars, with Nathan Foley, Reece Conca and Shane Tuck among their best.
In his 150th game, Brad Miller also was a valuable contributor for the Tigers with three goals.
Melbourne coach Mark Neeld said he felt his team's game style had held up for three-quarters of Saturday's game.
"We were certainly in the game at half-time … [and] in the last quarter, yeah, I know people will say the sting goes out of the game and the speed goes out of the game … but I thought there was a lot of resolve shown by us in the last quarter to even it [up] on the scoreboard," Neeld said.
"[But] in the third quarter, [Richmond's] experienced players, their top-line players, really stood up and got their hands on the footy and cleared the footy and we were unable to do that.
"We tried a few things, a couple of tactics, and tried three or four different things and none worked."
Melbourne key defender James Frawley was one of his team's better players, holding Richmond spearhead Jack Riewoldt to one goal, while Jordie McKenzie kept Trent Cotchin to just eight possessions in the first half, before the classy Tiger subsequently kicked three goals after spending more time up forward.
Nathan Jones' work in the centre briefly got the Demons back into the game in the second term, while Jeremy Howe's strength overhead - he took 11 marks - gave Melbourne fans some cause for optimism.
But in a further blow to Melbourne, at the three-minute mark of the final quarter co-captain Jack Grimes had to be helped to the bench with apparent concussion after a strong tackle by Daniel Jackson.
RICHMOND 4.4 6.8 15.11 20.13 (133)
MELBOURNE 2.3 5.6 6.6 11.8 (74)
GOALS
Richmond: Cotchin 3, Miller 3, Conca 2, Nahas 2, Deledio 2, Maric, Martin, Riewoldt, Houli, Vickery, Grigg, Jackson, Tuck
Melbourne: Clark 2, Howe 2, Trengove 2, Dunn 2, Watts, Jones, Sellar
BEST
Richmond: Grigg, Conca, Houli, Deledio, Cotchin, Rance, Martin, Tuck, Nahas
Melbourne: Howe, Jones, McKenzie
INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
Melbourne: Grimes (Concussion)
Subs:
Melbourne's Lynden Dunn replaced Stefan Martin in the third quarter
Richmond's Addam Maric replaced Tyrone Vickery in the final quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Schmitt, Armstrong, Mitchell
Official crowd: 49,826 at MCG
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the AFL or its clubs
