Richmond's late comeback attempt against Carlton fell short on Saturday night, with the Blues winning their seventh consecutive game by just two points.

With two wins over Richmond for the year by a combined six points, the Blues were made to work for the 10.14 (74) to 10.12 (72) victory at a chilly MCG on Saturday evening.

A late surge from the Tigers threatened to end Josh Fraser's perfect record in the head coaching chair, spurred on by the energy of youth. Taj Hotton nabbed his first goal of the season, Mykelti Lefau kicked truly from a deliberate rushed behind free kick, and Seth Campbell got it within a kick with less than a minute on the clock.

But the Blues were able to frantically lock things down and create four repeat stoppages in that final 60 seconds to secure the win.

George Hewett (26 disposals, nine tackles, two goals) was immense for Carlton, while Jagga Smith recorded 29 disposals and five tackles.

Too often did Richmond's defensive structure break down, creating opportunities for Carlton to move the ball around the arc and generate marks in dangerous positions. The Tigers allowed Carlton to take 17 marks inside 50 for the game.

On his return from a larynx fracture, Tom Lynch failed to convert, with one behind and two kicks out on the full for the evening, while Noah Balta (2.2) ultimately broke even.

Neither team got full value out of its forward forays, with several of Carlton's set shot opportunities unable to convert for majors.

The Tigers had a hard time establishing moments of calm throughout the game, instead flicking the ball around and not always able to execute their skills to claim marks around the ground.

At times that speed worked. A spirited start for Richmond led to its third opening-quarter win of the season and it was off the back of that quick transition that the Tigers created chances for the likes of Campbell (17 disposals, six tackles, two goals) and Rhyan Mansell (10 disposals, two goals), while some push and shove handed Jasper Alger a goal on the bell of quarter-time.

Sheeting rain took hold as play resumed after the main break, forcing play into a chaos phase, but Ben McKay took a strong mark and kicked truly for his sole major of the night before things dried up.

Jack Ross suffered his second concussion of the season in the second quarter.

Tension
As the first quarter built, so did the tension between the sides, with it ultimately boiling over on the eve of the break. As the sides were taking their positions for a boundary stoppage on Richmond's forward flank, Blue Sam Walsh bumped young Tiger Jasper Alger, with the latter falling to the ground as a result. The 19-year-old was awarded a free kick for the contact, and kicked truly as the siren went, so Richmond's goal celebrations quickly turned into a melee as Carlton players took exception. It was some time before the teams could be split into their respective huddles, and the niggling tension remained for the rest of the evening.

RICHMOND   5.3   6.5   7.8   10.12 (72)
CARLTON   2.3   7.7   9.10   10.14 (74)

GOALS  
Richmond: Balta 2, Mansell 2, Lefau 2, Campbell 2, Alger, Hotton
Carlton: Kemp 2, Hewett 2, Evans, Cripps, McGovern, Cerra, Ainsworth, McKay

BEST  
Richmond: Taranto, Campbell, Short, Hotton, Balta
Carlton: Hewett, Smith, Cripps, Evans, Cerra

INJURIES  
Richmond: Ross (concussion)
Carlton: Young (concussion)

Crowd: 54,923 at the MCG