RICHMOND has opened a new era under coach Jarrad Donders with a win, defeating Collingwood by 18 points on Saturday evening at Ikon Park.

After a goalless first quarter, the Tigers gained the ascendancy all over the ground for the rest of the match to run out 6.10 (46) to 4.4 (28) winners.

TIGERS v MAGPIES Full match coverage and stats

They led inside-50s 43 to 24, although they struggled to convert. Their dominance across the ground was clear, leading clearances 25 to 17, including 10 to two centre clearances.

New vice-captain Monique Conti led the way for Richmond, finishing with 26 possessions, seven clearances, seven tackles, 527m gained and a goal. Emelia Yassir was dangerous inside forward 50 all evening, making seven tackles, four clearances and kicking a goal of her own.

Collingwood fought valiantly, leading tackles 63 to 47, but struggled to move the ball cleanly across the ground. Tarni White was the leading possession-winner for the Pies with 26 and 523m gained, and taking a courageous intercept mark in the third quarter that had viewers with heart in mouth before she got back up. Veteran Brit Bonnici also provided great support, finishing with 23 disposals, eight tackles and three clearances.

This was a meeting of two sides that made wholesale changes coming off the back of a disappointing 2025. The Tigers have a new-look football department and coaching structure following a review at the end of last season, including new senior coach Donders from Eastern Ranges of the Coates Talent League.

Meanwhile, Collingwood unveiled 10 new faces on the field (including five 2025 draftees in Imogen Trengove, Amy Smith, Mischa Barwin, Josie Bamford and Zara Neuwirth) on Saturday night.

The two sides dusted off the cobwebs in a low-scoring first quarter, with the ball practically living between the arcs. A couple of early chances were left on the table as both teams struggled to move the ball cleanly inside their forward 50.

White broke the scoring deadlock after winning a free kick and resulting 50m penalty just above the 50m arc, taking her to the goalsquare.

Of all the debutants, plenty of attention was on Richmond’s 2025 number one draft pick, Olivia Wolmarans. She lined up in a dynamic tall forward line alongside Greiser and Gabby Seymour, in yet another positional move for the newly appointed co-captain.

A roving Emelia Yassir found Wolmarans in a one-on-one in the goalsquare in the second quarter, the first-gamer winning a free kick for a push to convert her first goal as an AFLW player.

In the third term, the pressure built on the field until a scrap in the forward 50 gave Tiger Charli Wicksteed an opportunity to score her first AFLW goal, opening up a 19-point lead.

Collingwood showed its potential early in the final quarter, moving smoothly through the middle with a neat handball chain ending in 2024 number one draft pick Ash Centra snapping truly. Unfortunately for the Pies, Yassir immediately opened the margin again with a dodging and weaving goal.

What looked like a dream first goal for Trengove late, an opportunistic kick bouncing over the heads of Tigers defenders, was called back after the AFLW’s new score assist system found it had been touched.

Whistles galore
Both sides will rue a lack of discipline in this opening game given its scoreboard impact. Three of the four goals scored in the opening half came directly from 50m penalties – including a 100m-penalty brain fade from the Tigers which gave North Melbourne recruit Ariana Hetherington her first goal in the black and white stripes. Potentially some cobwebs to be blown off, it’s something the two teams will want to tidy up moving forward, especially in low-scoring games.

Faces of the game celebrate 75 of the best
Two players who have epitomised the AFLW competition since the first season – Richmond’s former captain Katie Brennan and current Collingwood captain Ruby Schleicher – got their flowers on Saturday evening, celebrating their respective 75th games. Early in the third term, it was Brennan who got the opportunity to go back and score a goal for her side, expertly fed the ball by teammate Greiser. Meanwhile, Schleicher had close attention from Richmond’s defenders all evening but had a special dribbling goal in the final term. She’s flagged that she’ll be spending more time forward in 2026.

Up next
A buoyant Richmond now heads to Mission Whitten Oval to take on the Western Bulldogs next Saturday at 2.15pm. Meanwhile, Collingwood will host its first home game of the season against Fremantle at Victoria Park at 12.35pm on Sunday.

RICHMOND               0.3       2.6       4.8     6.10 (46)
COLLINGWOOD        1.0       2.0       2.1     4.4 (28)

GOALS
Richmond: Wolmarans, Conti, Brennan, Wicksteed, Yassir, Kelly
Collingwood: White, Hetherington, Centra, Schleicher

BEST 
Richmond: Conti, Yassir, Grieves, Brennan, Kelly, Greiser
Collingwood: White, Bonnici, Runnalls, Patterson

INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
Collingwood: Nil

Reports: Nil

Crowd: TBC at Ikon Park