Despite the game being close all day long, the Tigers found an extra gear when it mattered most to beat the sixth-placed Swans by two goals at Tramway Oval, snapping a five-game losing streak in the process. 

Josh Pollocks got the Tigers off to the perfect start, taking a nice pack and kicking truly from the top of the goal square. But young Swans ruck Harrison Podmore-Taylor responded, kicking accurately after being awarded a free kick inside-50, before Mohammed Yassine kept his strong goalkicking form going for Richmond.

For the rest of the term the ball pinged from end to end, but neither team could capitalise on the scoreboard, until Pollocks got his second for the Tigers. While Richmond had the better of the first quarter, Sydney small forward Kaden Harbour kicked a goal on the siren to bring the margin back to only five points.

Both sides turned the ball over in crucial positions to start the second quarter and despite Richmond getting some good looks, inaccuracy in front of goal stopped it from making the most of their dominance.

Finally, it was Sydney forward Joel Hamling who broke the shackles and kicked the only goal of the quarter, as teams went into half-time with scores level.

Defender turned inside-mid Nick Collier kicked Richmond’s first of the third term, before Pollocks had a purple patch, kicking three goals in just four minutes to ignite the Tigers.

The Swans responded with goals to Jesse Dattoli and Jake Sutton, but Richmond also kicked a few great goals, going into three-quarter time with a 16-point lead.

Sutton kept the Swans within striking distance to start the last quarter with his second goal of the day, but Kai Stewart answered back with a neat set shot to help maintain the Tigers' buffer. 

The Swans didn't go away though, as Mitch Mellis and Billy Cootee kicked nice snapping goals to bring the margin back to just four points, and once again the Tigers were set for another tense finish to the game.

But this time they held strong and kicked two crucial goals through Yassine and Sean Lai, holding on to win by 12 points and snap a string of close losses.

Pollocks was the fire-starter for the Tigers, finishing with five goals, and really got Richmond going after the game was in a holding pattern for much of the first half.

Three of his goals came in a crazy burst during the third term, while AFL-listed defender Kaleb Smith (36 disposals, seven marks) and Harry Scott (27 disposals, 10 tackles and seven clearances) amassed huge games.

Kye Annand (13 disposals, seven intercept possessions) was solid in his first game as a Tiger, as was Hugo Ralphsmith (16 disposals, five marks) who made a successful return from a knee injury. 

Richmond will go into the bye with a renewed sense of confidence, before doing battle with Tasmania Devils on Saturday, 13th of June from 12:05pm AEST at UTAS Stadium in Launceston.

Richmond   3.0   3.5   9.6   12.8 (80)
Sydney   2.1   3.5   6.8   9.14 (68)

Goalkickers: Pollocks 5, Yassine 3, Stewart, Lai, George, Collier