AFTER another week in the headlines, and a nailbiting win, Carlton coach Michael Voss sat down for his press conference with a sigh.

"Who'd be a coach, hey? Who wants to do this? Seriously, you've got to be mad."

BLUES v TIGERS Full match coverage and stats

It was an unprompted remark, straight from the heart, after the Blues beat Richmond by four points, despite kicking just one goal in the second half as the Tigers sprayed shot after shot.

Sam Docherty's leaked remarks, the looming presence of Dan Gorringe and his vocal online fan base, the threat of successive lead collapses against a rebuilding Tigers, and the contested ball woes all melted into the background with four points in the bag.

"Tonight was a little bit about our club. We've been targeted the whole week, both inside and out, and we get away for a win, and I'm just pleased our supporters can walk away and have a smile on our face and wear their jumper with pride and wear their scarf around their neck," Voss said.

"I feel like this one was for our club, I really do. It was hard fought, it wasn't exactly the way we wanted it. There was no bow on it. We had to work for it, and we got it. I'm just really pleased for my club that we were able to do it.

"I can't stress enough that we spent a lot of time within our group ensuring we value what is happening on the inside. We see what's happening on the inside, and we've seen the shift in that energy. 

"This meant a lot for our players tonight, to get the job done. But we're not looking at it through rose-coloured glasses, either. There's some realness in where we are, we accept that we're not the finished product. We have work to do. But what we won't do, is not celebrate when we need to." 

Docherty highlighted the contested ball as a significant area of concern for the Blues, and Thursday's efforts backed it up, with the Tiger tide turning as the yellow sash began to win the hard contests.

"If you look at the contested number, we were minus -15 or 16 in the third quarter, and we were +6 in the last quarter. We were still up against it in the last quarter, and we won contested possession," Voss said.

"I think that's at least a shift in the right direction, and probably why it gave us a chance to win. We were losing way too much contest. Our LDLs (long down the line) we were losing, our stoppages we were losing, we just couldn't get field position. And when we did, it just came out too quick.

"There's a few things to go away (with). But when we talk about expectations and we talk about getting wins, we're going to celebrate these. We're going to make sure we acknowledge it, and get the four points and now we've got effectively two weeks before our next game, and we go into our little bye 1-1."

Richmond coach Adem Yze had said the day prior that last year's win over Carlton should have been a loss, and on Thursday night said the loss to the Blues should have been a win.

"No doubt (we let the four points slip). The way we played in the second half, the first half we weren't up to standard, and our players know that. We just obviously gave them too much of a start, which we were really disappointed with," Yze said.

"As a coach, when you're that far behind or when things aren't working for you, all you can ask for was a response, and I'm really proud of the boys' effort to provide that and give us a chance to win the game. When you look at numbers, yeah, it felt like we left one out there."

Richmond spearhead Tom Lynch kicked 2.7 in a very eventful night, working his way into the game well and taking six marks, but also kicking poorly and giving away five free kicks.

"I think most forwards in the comp, in the first part of the season, if you're having 10 shots on goal, you're doing something right. He understands his execution was off, but it was really blustery out there – both teams missed ones they would normally take, and I think on TV it would have looked a lot easier than what it was out there," Yze said.

"I think that's when he plays his best, when he plays on edge. I think that's why he had 10 shots on goal. There would have been some push and shove, and whether he's retaliated, whatever it is, I'll back him in. 

"There's probably some opportunities for him to get some free kicks. He was getting double-teamed, he's a big man, they put a lot of time and effort into him. So I think 10 shots on goal speaks for itself."