RICHMOND has overcome a spirited St Kilda at Windy Hill, holding off a mid-game fight back to win 9.4 (58) to 6.7 (43) on Sunday afternoon.

After a slow start, the Saints worked themselves back into the contest throughout the second and third quarters, but the Tigers steadied when it mattered and held off the challenges, continuing their alternating win-loss pattern of results in the 2026 season.

TIGERS v SAINTS Full match coverage and stats

Jade McLay had a breakout game for St Kilda. Playing in just her third match, McLay had Saints fans jumping out of their seats after kicking three goals in quick succession to open the second quarter ,before finishing with a game-high four goals.

Zoe Besanko and Jesse Tawhiao-Wardlaw had their colours lowered by Poppy Kelly and Gabby Seymour in the ruck, losing the hitouts 39 to 17. But St Kilda’s midfield fought hard, only losing the clearance count by five.

However, the red, black, and white couldn’t stop the dynamic duo of Isabel Bacon and Ellie McKenzie, who combined for 40 disposals, 20 contested possessions, 10 tackles, 10 clearances, and eight inside 50s.

The ball lived in Richmond’s half of the ground in the first quarter, with the home side racking up 14 inside 50s to three. The Tigers were helped by St Kilda almost exclusively moving the ball down the far wing in a slow, deliberate manner in the early stages of the quarter, allowing Richmond to outnumber Tawhiao-Wardlaw in the air and win the ball back at ground level on multiple occasions.

Tigers coach Jarrad Donders praised his side for the pressure they applied in the early stages of the game.

"We obviously had a pretty good first quarter in the way we moved the ball and had conviction in the way that we did it," he said post-match.

Gabby Seymour kicked the first major of the afternoon – and her first goal since Round 1, 2022 – with the Tigers co-captain converting from distance after receiving a free kick for a block in a ruck contest. Katie Brennan kicked Richmond’s second shortly after, floating across the front of a pack inside 50 to take a solid contested mark.

But the Saints fired back as the quarter wore on, attempting to put more speed on the ball and getting on the board through Ashleigh Richard’s smart finish from a tight angle in the pocket.

McLay was a dominant force early in the second, kicking the first three goals of her career before the 10-minute mark of the quarter. The 19-year-old walked off the ground minutes later though, after coming off second best in a bone-crunching contest and did not return until after half-time.

"I think what you'll see with Jade is she only has one pace," St Kilda coach Nick Dal Santo said after the game.

"I think you got a glimpse of what she's capable of. We're really bullish and excited about what she's going to be for our football club."

Teammate Olivia Vesely was less fortunate, ruled out with an ankle injury during the half-time break. The 26-year-old left the field in the closing stages of the second term after collecting six disposals and two clearances. Vesely was later spotted sporting a moonboot when she emerged from the rooms in the third quarter.

Momentum swung back Richmond’s way after McLay left the field, with Charli Wicksteed, Seymour, and Isabel Bacon kicking the last three goals of the term to restore the Tigers’ two goal lead at the main break.

After a quiet first half, Tawhiao-Wardlaw got St Kilda back within a kick in the early stages of the third, the key forward splitting the middle from a set shot courtesy of a clean chest mark.

The Saints appeared much more settled defensively following the long break, holding the Tigers to five inside 50s. They applied great tackle pressure in their back half, running Richmond players down repeatedly to win free kicks for holding the ball.

Jaimee Lambert kept busy in the third, picking up six disposals, four contested possessions, two tackles, and two clearances.  

Emelia Yassir goaled in the 14th minute of the quarter, her second for the match, to give the Tigers some breathing room heading into the final change. St Kilda had gotten the deficit back to 10 points, winning just its third quarter for the season. 

The final term was a tussle, with neither team able to establish dominance. Richmond were rewarded for their hard work through goals to Brennan and Olivia Wolmarans, and although McLay found her fourth goal in stoppage time, changing the result was out of reach.

Donders thanked supporters for making the long trip from Richmond to Windy Hill to support the club.

"It's a fair way to come. Balancing Ikon Park and [Windy Hill] as our home grounds this year is worth it because we're back at Punt Road next year, and the facilities we've got there will be outstanding. But I thought our supporters, the crowd that rocked up, was outstanding. Hopefully they're really starting to believe what we're building." 

Dal Santo felt his side performed well in a number of areas, but conceded the Tigers made more of their opportunities.

"The scoreboard says it was a pretty even contest over the course of [the game]," he said.

"There's probably a couple of blocks where they kicked, I want to say, three [goals] in a short period of time with momentum, and I guess that was the difference at the end of the day."

Youth meets experience in the Richmond midfield
With superstar Mon Conti still sidelined with Achilles tendon soreness, third-year player Isabel Bacon and returning co-captain Ellie McKenzie got to work in the middle of the ground. Bacon backed up her strong performance against Fremantle last week with 20 disposals, seven tackles, four clearances, and a goal, while McKenzie, on return from a broken arm in the pre-season, slotted back in beautifully with 20 of her own, 11 contested possessions, and six clearances. McKenzie, playing in her 50th game, donned a guard on her left forearm but did not seem hampered. 

Horror season continues for St Kilda
The Saints were certainly more competitive against the Tigers after being on the wrong end of a 92-point margin last week against North Melbourne, but it wasn’t enough to snap their winless streak. St Kilda has now lost eight consecutive games stretching back to 2025, and has conceded more points across the first give games of a season than any side in history (361, surpassing the 350 allowed by Gold Coast last year). 

Up next
Richmond travels to Corroboree Group Oval in Canberra to play the Greater Western Sydney in the early game on Sunday, looking to record back-to-back victories for the first time this season. St Kilda hosts West Coast– fresh off an upset victory over Brisbane – at RSEA Park later that afternoon and will be trying to avoid equalling a club record nine consecutive losses. 

RICHMOND    3.1    6.3    7.3    9.4 (58)
ST KILDA       1.0    4.3    5.5    6.7 (43) 

GOALS
Richmond: Seymour 2, Yassir 2, Brennan 2, Wicksteed, Bacon, Wolmarans
St Kilda: McLay 4, Richards, Tawhiao-Wardlaw 

BEST
Richmond: Bacon, Seymour, McKenzie, Kelly, East
St Kilda: Smith, McLay, Richards 

INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
St Kilda: Olivia Vesely (ankle) 

LATE CHANGES
Richmond: Ally Dallaway (managed) replaced in the selected side by Maddie Shevlin.
St Kilda: Nil

Reports: Nil

Crowd: TBC at Windy Hill