COOPER Trembath made something out of nothing.

In what was otherwise a dour, low-scoring affair, Trembath was a shining light kicking a career-high four goals to guide his Roos to a 25-point win on Sunday afternoon at the MCG.

The game opened up after half-time, North extending its lead from eight points at the main break to 26 points at three-quarter time, eventually winning 10.13 (73) to 6.12 (48) in front of a crowd of 41,806.

TIGERS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

The scoreboard separation was mainly due to 20-year-old Trembath contributing two of North's three goals in the third term, while the Tigers added just four points to their tally.

Trembath also spent time in the ruck at centre bounce, combining with Tristan Xerri in one-two punch that created headaches for Richmond skipper Toby Nankervis, who returned to the line-up for his first game since round two.

The young Tigers refused to give in, kicking three of their six goals in the final term, two to utility Noah Balta and one to Liam Fawcett, but goals to Xerri and winger Dylan Stephens put the win well and truly out of doubt, making it back-to-back wins for North.

Despite the immaculate weather conditions, both sides struggled to hit the scoreboard in the first quarter, kicking just a goal apiece in the winter sunshine.

Errant ball use and poor decision making meant the game was often slow moving and contested, allowing both sides to flood into defence to make it difficult to find marks inside 50.

When North did get pace on the ball, a number of times due to the run and carry of Colby McKercher off half-back, the Roos looked a class above the Tigers. 

Fan favourite George Wardlaw had moments in his 50th match, the hard-nut mid pushing forward and kicking two goals in his milestone game.

Caleb Daniel (40 disposals at 90 per cent efficiency, 16 marks, seven rebound 50s) and Harry Sheezel (31 disposals, seven score assists) found plenty of the ball, while Luke Parker's (30 disposals, 11 marks) move to the backline continues to benefit Clarkson's Roos.

Not Duursma's day
North's Zane Duursma will quickly want to move on from his performance on Sunday afternoon after the youngster missed several opportunities in front of the big sticks. Duursma went goalless for the third consecutive week, kicking three behinds for the game. Coach Alastair Clarkson said it was just "one of those days" for the 20-year-old in his post-match presser. "(Duursma) had his opportunities today and I think he had five shots on goal and didn't register a goal. That I think will be an anomaly. He's nearly our best kick in the club … Sometimes it happens with the beautiful kicks of the footy."

Saving Big X
Regular Roos ruck Tristan Xerri had a couple of handy helpers today, with Cooper Trembath and Taylor Goad sharing the ruck load. The three big men took on Toby Nankervis and Noah Balta, in a combination that we will potentially see more of in the future. Clarkson said the plan was to manage Xerri's loads heading into the second half of the season. "We're just really mindful of the load that Big Xerri has to take for our side. When you combine all the stoppages with the centre bounces, he's sometimes doing 80 contests a game and that's just with the stoppage. With (Goad) and Trembath, Jack Darling can give us a bit of a chop out … that just dilutes the amount of responsibility you feel you need to rely on Big X to do all that."

RICHMOND                 1.2   3.4   3.8   6.12 (48)
NORTH MELBOURNE   1.2   4.6   7.10   10.13 (73)

GOALS
Richmond: Balta 2, Cumming, Alger, Lefau, Fawcett
North Melbourne: Trembath 4, Wardlaw 2, Larkey, Konstanty, Xerri, Stephens

BEST
Richmond: Taranto, Tresize, Brown, Balta, Short
North Melbourne: Trembath, Wardlaw, Daniel, Sheezel, Parker

INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
North Melbourne: Nil 

Crowd: 41,806 at the MCG