A nine-goal-to-two final quarter from Hawthorn, has seen Richmond thoroughly beaten by the Hawks at the MCG on Sunday afternoon.

With scores level at quarter time, Richmond only contributed three more goals for the remainder of the match as Hawthorn initially edged ahead, then kicked away in the last term to inflict a 70-point defeat on the Tigers.

Although the Hawks had the better of general play for most of Sunday's game, it was not until Jack Gunston and Cyril Rioli kicked consecutive goals in a tick over a minute late in the third term that they got some genuine breathing distance over the Tigers.

Those two goals helped the Hawks take a 28-point lead into the final break and opened the floodgates for a nine-goal-to-two final quarter that carried them to a 16.18 (114) to 5.14 (44) victory.

Richmond had won three of the teams' previous five clashes heading into Sunday's game and battled hard until the Hawks' class eventually proved too much.

Alex Rance stood up manfully amid a barrage of inside 50 entries from the Hawks – they won the count 56-37 – while Dustin Martin (a game-high 39 possessions) continued his recent prolific ball-winning, albeit without his usual influence.

Anthony Miles (26 possessions) provided handy support to Martin through the midfield, and Nick Vlastuin was solid in the Tigers' defensive 50.

The Hawks dominated the opening minutes of the game, denying the Tigers an inside 50 until nearly nine minutes had elapsed.

Hawthorn failed to take full advantage of that dominance, kicking 1.3 with their opening major coming from Brendan Whitecross.

By the time Richmond kicked its first goal at the 19-minute mark – via Nathan Drummond in his first senior game back from a knee reconstruction in a rare highlight – the scores were level.

Tigers skipper Trent Cotchin then goaled, but this was soon answered by a Luke Breust major after the Hawk forward brilliantly smothered Richmond defender David Astbury at the top of the goalsquare, and the teams went into quarter-time tied on 2.5 (17).

Alastair Clarkson's men had the first five scores of the second term, but only the last was a goal, James Sicily's clinical set shot from 30m putting the Hawks up by 10 points at the 12-minute mark.

A Daniel Rioli goal cut Hawthorn's lead to four points five minutes later, but soon after Gunston capitalised when Ben Griffiths slipped in the Hawks' goalsquare, sharking the Tiger's errant handball and finishing truly.

Richmond would only add two more goals from that point on - both to Jack Riewoldt in the final term - as the likes of Gunston, Sicily and Rioli piled on the misery for as the hosts ran away with a big win.

HAWTHORN         2.5   4.11   7.15   16.18 (114)
RICHMOND          2.5   3.7      3.11    5.14 (44)

GOALS
Hawthorn: Rioli 3, Gunston 3, Sicily 3, Breust 2, Puopolo, O'Rourke, Whitecross, Gibson, McEvoy
Richmond: Riewoldt 2, Rioli, Drummond, Cotchin 

BEST 
Hawthorn: Mitchell, Gibson, Hill, Birchall, Gunston, Lewis, Stratton
Richmond: Martin, Rance, Grigg, Miles  

INJURIES
Hawthorn: TBC 
Richmond: Grimes (hamstring) 

Reports: Nil 

Umpires: Brown, Schmitt, Kamolins

Official crowd: 51,892 at the MCG