Richmond has lost a heartbreaker to Carlton in a Round 1 thriller at the MCG.

The Tigers fought tooth and nail in the second half, but the boot of Zac Williams and the intercepting hands of Lewis Young guided Carlton to an agonising four-point win, 10.15 (75) to 9.17 (71).

Tom Lynch was locked in a fascinating internal battle between Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde for the entire match, giving away frees, arguing with umpires, marking well and having a whopping 10 shots at goal.

But he kicked 2.7, the first Tiger to score seven behinds since Matthew Richardson.

Lynch's second, with just two minutes remaining, cut the margin to four points, but the Blues clung on with every remaining fingernail to secure the victory.

It wasn't exactly champagne football, with errors aplenty from both sides, but it was quick and entertaining, with the Blues having a smidge more class and composure than the Tigers in their period of dominance.

Jayden Short recorded 29 disposals, nine score involvements and 753 metres gained in a strong performance, debutant Sam Grlj impressed with 19 disposals, 13 kicks and 89.5% disposal efficiency, while Jack Ross (23 disposals, seven tackles), Tim Taranto (29 disposals, 15 contested possessions) and Sam Banks (24 disposals, 95.8% disposal efficiency) stuffed the stat sheet.

Sam Lalor, Rhyan Mansell and Steely Green were also highly influential throughout the contest.

Carlton burst out of the blocks, showing off the fast footy that served it well in the first half against Sydney last round, and crucially, hitting the scoreboard this time.

Second-gamer Jagga Smith had an astonishing 16 touches in the first term, with 12 handball receives, bursting through the contest time and time again.

By contrast, Richmond's top accumulator for the quarter were half-backs Jayden Short and Sam Banks, with seven each, and Carlton's talls – Harry McKay, Mitch McGovern and Brodie Kemp – were looking dangerous with the constant, quick supply.

Rain (and a fresh autumn chill signalling footy is truly back) rolled in at quarter-time, and the Tigers started to even up the contest, but second-year keys Jonty Faull and Harry Armstrong missed shots, seeing an opportunity to even up the scoreboard slip.

The question coming into the match had simply been: it couldn't happen again, could it?

Leading by 27 at half-time (it was 25 when Richmond mounted its epic comeback in the corresponding match last year), Carlton's run and gun dissipated in the third, with Lachie Fogarty hitting the post from directly in front.

The screws tightened, inch by inch, behind by behind.

The Tiger cubs hassled and locked the ball in their front half, feasting on the chaos as the Blues panicked, with Richmond winning the third quarter contested possessions by 10, and clearances by four.

But the hammer kept skewing off the head of the final nail, with Richmond kicking 2.6 for the term, missing chance after chance.

Short tried to nurse his first shot, and opted to bomb his second in much more customary style, and it was just six points the difference to open the fourth.

But Williams' goal – Carlton's sole for the second half – was enough to do the job.

Jagga and L4lor
It's going to be a fun 15 years, watching these two go head-to-head. Lalor, the first pick in the 2024 draft, and Smith, the third selection. It was Lalor's MCG debut in the No.4 personally handed over by Dustin Martin, and Smith's actual MCG debut. The Blue couldn't have looked calmer if he tried, bouncing onto the field and causing havoc in the first half, before "quietening down" to finish with a game-high 32 touches. Lalor was key in Richmond's comeback, recording 16 high-impact disposals and two goals.

CARLTON   6.4   9.9   9.13   10.15 (75)
RICHMOND   3.3   5.6   7.12   9.17 (71)
 
GOALS
Carlton: McKay 2, McGovern 2, Williams, Pittonet, Lord, Kemp, Hewett, Hayward
Richmond: Mansell 2, Lynch 2, Lalor 2, Green 2, Short
 
BEST
Carlton: Smith, Weitering, Cripps, Walsh, Florent, McKay
Richmond: Lalor, Short, Ross, Mansell, Taranto, Grlj
 
INJURIES
Carlton: Nil
Richmond: Nil
 
Crowd: 74,313 at the MCG