After an unbeaten season, Richmond's VWFL Championship Division side suffered its first defeat of the year to St Kilda in Sunday's Qualifying Final. 

Head Coach Miranda Charlton said her side will take learnings from the loss as they prepare for Collingwood this week in the Preliminary Final. 

“St Kilda tried some new line-ups against us in the first final, and it brought a different level of defensive pressure, and a great game to be seen by all," Charlton said. 

"We’ll be working hard at training to learn from the Championship teams' first loss of the season, so that we are in the best position to wheel away with a win at this weekend's final against Collingwood, who are another impressive side.

"There’s fresh fire and determination in the belly of the Tigers to get to the grand final once again. It’s sure to be a great game, so come on down and cheer on the mighty Tigers.”

09:39

Round 21: Yze Post-Match

Hear from Adem Yze after the Tigers' loss to Gold Coast.

With a spot in the Grand Final up for grabs, a quick start from their rivals in the first quarter put the Tigers on the ropes early.

Richmond was outscored eight goals to just four by the end of the first quarter, however, the minor premiers showed fight in the second, piling on five goals whilst keeping the Saints goalless.

Despite the comeback after the main break, St Kilda came out firing in the third quarter, taking a commanding 16-point lead heading into the last.

Chris Kotsanas and Angelo Mavroudis posed a strong threat up forward, combining for a total of 13 goals. However, it wasn’t enough to stop the run of St Kilda’s offence, as they finished with 16 goals for the match. 

The final score reflected Richmond 13.3 (81) to St Kilda 16.4 (100).

Richmond’s VWFL Championship Division team will now face Collingwood in the Preliminary Final at the State Netball Hockey Centre on Sunday from 2:00pm, with a spot in the Grand Final on the line.

01:33

‘Gives us good data on our game and our system’ - Miller

Rebecca Miller speaks to Richmond Media following the sides loss to Hawthorn in our practice match.

Meanwhile, the Community Division side has booked a spot in the Grand Final after a strong victory over Collingwood.

The side had a hot start, piling on three goals to Collingwood’s one in the first quarter.

Matthew Morris and Mark Titford led the charge in the attacking end, scoring five goals each, whilst Corin Murphy scored one.

Richmond finished strongly with three goals to two in the last quarter, resulting in a 22-point win.

The game’s final score saw Richmond finish with 11.5 (71) to Collingwood’s 7.7 (49).

The Tigers will meet the winner of this week’s Preliminary Final between Collingwood and Essendon in the Grand Final on Sunday, August 10.