Richmond struggled against a Gold Coast Suns side fighting for a finals berth, going down by 84 points at People First Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

It was a disappointing showing after promise over the last few weeks, with Adem Yze's men unable to find forward line connectivity in the early stages.

However, Richmond did not let Gold Coast off the leash, with a strong first half defensive showing from veteran Nick Vlastuin, who had 14 disposals at half time, with six of those intercepts and eight marks.

After a slow first half that saw the Tigers trailing by 36 points at the main break, returning youngster Harry Armstrong wasted no time putting the side on the board, with a smooth set shot early in the third.

It was another tough slog in the third, but Jayden Short continued to show his maturity, leading the side with 20 disposals at three-quarter time.

Senior leaders Dion Prestia and Jacob Hopper continued a gallant fight through the midfield, but it wasn't enough to quell the Suns' intensity, as they piled on five more goals in the third.

The Tigers were able to add another major to the scoreboard in the dying stages of the match, with Rhyan Mansell booting the goal.

Sam Banks showed promise with a team-high 26 disposals for the match, while James Trezise (19 touches) and Jack Ross (23) also had intent around the ball.

Richmond now look ahead to their Round 22 clash against the Saints at the MCG next Saturday afternoon.

Vlastuin continues push for maiden All-Australian
The man with more intercept possessions than anyone in the AFL racked up another 11 against the Suns. From the opening minutes he was magnificent, cutting off Gold Coast forward entries and sweeping up anything within his vicinity. Vlastuin’s only mistake came during the second quarter when he sprayed a set shot in a rare jaunt forward. Could this be the year the 31-year-old gets his first All-Australian blazer? He has to be right in the frame.

GOLD COAST   4.1   6.5   11.9   16.11 (107)
RICHMOND   0.1   0.5   1.8   2.11 (23)
 
GOALS
Gold Coast: King 4, Humphrey 3, Read 2, Long 2, Farrar 2, Fiorini, Andrew, Ainsworth
Richmond: Armstrong, Mansell
 
BEST
Gold Coast: Anderson, Rowell, Miller, Collins, Fiorini
Richmond: Vlastuin, Banks, Ross, Short
 
INJURIES
Gold Coast: Nil
Richmond: Jonty Faull (knee)
 
SUBSTITUTES
Gold Coast: Nick Holman (replaced Touk Miller in the fourth quarter)
Richmond: Kamdyn McIntosh (replaced Faull in the first quarter)
 
Crowd: 14,841 at People First Stadium