McMahon says he owed the team

IN ORDER to keep his emotions in check, Richmond midfielder Jordan McMahon pretended his after-the-siren kick to win Sunday's clash with Melbourne was merely an opportunity to atone for earlier misses.

McMahon, 26, marked the ball within range as the siren sounded across the MCG, with his side trailing by two points.

He said he put the fact the Tigers were down out of his mind, and instead focussed on making up for two sprayed kicks in the second term.

"I just thought this was an opportunity to kick a goal and make up for my two mistakes early on," he said.

"I tried to put it aside, but obviously it was still there - the kick was to win the game.

"I put it aside to a degree and just wanted to kick the goal to make up for the two mistakes before that."

The former Bulldog said he relished the immediate feeling his goal generated, despite finding himself beneath a stack of his thrilled teammates. 

"The emotion afterwards felt really good. It was very much a relief, and that's when it really sunk in, that I had kicked the goal," he said.

"Then I realised when all the boys came around, and it was a really good feeling, especially for the other guys as well, who worked hard all day, to give reward to them as well.

"The closer it got to goal, the happier I was," he said, of his thoughts as the ball travelled through the air.

He said he wasn't approached by any of his teammates as he composed himself and prepared to take the shot, and was instead offered some suggestions by an unlikely contributor.

"Brad Miller was about the only bloke to give me advice, and that wasn't that very constructive," he said.

"It was more the other way around."

McMahon said he was thriving under the tutelage of caretaker coach Jade Rawlings, who had given him another opportunity to win over the often-critical Richmond fans.

"I haven't taken a huge amount of notice of the criticism [about me]," he said.

"I'm basically doing what Jade is telling me to do now. We've got a pretty good regime going on now about how he's running the club.

"I think we're all sticking to a good plan now. He's running a good ship."

He said he had never had the opportunity to win a game before, and agreed it was a moment to behold.

"It's something you obviously dream of, as a kid in the backyard, kicking a goal after the siren to win a game," he said.

"I guess it came true."