A flat Adem Yze watched Richmond concede eight first-quarter goals against GWS on Sunday, putting the Tigers behind the eight ball in the first half-hour. 

While Richmond's ability to close the margin to 20 during the third term was a bright spark, there was no overlooking the poor start to the game.

"Really disappointing. Just spoke to the boys about it now. When you look across the whole game, numbers, inside-50s, clearances - I thought the response after quarter-time was a positive for the middle part of the game, but we just weren't up to standard for the first quarter," Yze said.

"To give up six goals from stoppage - one, it isn't the right way to play, and (two), it's not what you want to do on the road, at a different venue, things like that. We've got a young ruckman, and to start that way, we were just a little bit scattered around stoppage, and to give up that sort of start, the alarm bells were ringing. 

"The response in the second and third quarter was a positive, and to be right in the game, during the third quarter, to get back within 20 points, and I understand in the last quarter you're going to roll the dice and try different things and the scoreboard might blow out a little bit, but the first quarter was just frustrating and not up to standard, so we've just got to get to work."

Richmond debuted its Category B rookie in the ruck, former NBL player Oliver Hayes-Brown, and Yze praised how the 25-year-old was able to adjust to senior level.

"The response of a first-gamer that's played a handful of [Australian rules] footy, let alone any AFL games, was terrific for a young guy. The story's an amazing story, so for him to adjust and really crash in during that second quarter was exactly what we were after," Yze said.

"We were negative 16 in contested possession, and that's not the way we play. By half-time, we got that back to almost even."