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Ruthless Tigers power past Saints in AFL

Anna HarringtonAAP
Defending AFL premiers Richmond have thumped St Kilda in an 86-point win at Marvel Stadium.
Camera IconDefending AFL premiers Richmond have thumped St Kilda in an 86-point win at Marvel Stadium. Credit: AAP

Coach Damien Hardwick has hailed Richmond's return to their ruthless best after the Tigers snapped a two-game losing run and left a wasteful St Kilda in their wake with a brilliant 86-point win at Marvel Stadium.

St Kilda led by a point at quarter-time and dominated the second term but failed to capitalise, with Richmond nudging out to a four-goal lead at halftime before ruthlessly kicking on to batter the Saints 20.14 (134) to 7.6 (48).

"It was some of our best football that we've played no doubt. As a coach, you'll always look for areas of growth and we'll find them in the review," Hardwick said.

"We knew our form was on the improve (in last week's match with Port Adelaide). It looked like a Richmond game, it felt like a Richmond game and tonight was exactly the same."

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St Kilda's Rowan Marshall (foot) and Zak Jones (soreness) were late withdrawals for Paul Hunter and Luke Dunstan.

The Saints clearly missed Marshall's work in the ruck in particular as the Tigers dominated clearances, with ruckman Toby Nankervis important, while Hardwick relished Marlion Pickett's pinch-hitting support act.

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But in stark contrast to their inspired fightback against West Coast, Brett Ratten's side melted when the Tigers turned up the heat - kicking just three second-half goals to Richmond's 12.

"We can't pick and choose when we want to jump in and play because for a quarter-and-a-bit we were very good and last week we were pretty good for the whole game," Ratten said.

"So that's something that we have to address.

"For a half of footy, that was poor - we just got beaten up, we didn't handle their pressure. Their pressure was very, very good but we fuelled it too."

Shane Edwards (29 touches) and Jack Graham (17 disposals, 12 tackles and three goals) were ever-present and Dustin Martin (34 touches) worked past a slow start, while Jack Riewoldt kicked five goals.

St Kilda skipper Jack Steele (22 touches, 10 tackles) was typically tough while Hunter Clark's cleanliness by foot stood out in his 33 touches.

After St Kilda's wasteful second quarter in front of 32,056 fans, the Tigers put their foot down slowly and opened up a 25-point lead when Tom Lynch finished off a counter-attack with seconds left in the half.

St Kilda also had to activate medical substitute Ben Long at halftime for Jimmy Webster (adductor).

In the third term, the Tigers crunched St Kilda around the stoppages and punished them on the scoreboard, kicking seven goals to two to set the tone for a thrashing.

It started when Edwards goaled with a clever roving snap before Martin got on the end of a turnover, danced around a defender and sent the Tigers 38-points ahead with a booming goal.

From there, the Saints crumbled as the reigning premiers powered out to a 10-goal lead at the final change.

They rubbed further salt in St Kilda's wounds with a five-goal last quarter.

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