The Tigers played some great footy at stages on Saturday afternoon, but they missed some crucial opportunities to put the game to bed and paid the price, going down in a tight one at ETU Stadium against Port Melbourne.

Richmond had six of the first seven inside-50s, but it was Port Melbourne and Kaine Baldwin who kicked the first major of the day, deflating the Tigers after having plenty of early ascendancy.

It didn’t take long for Richmond to get the response though as it cut off a Port Melbourne forward foray and moved the ball fast, with Jay-De Varlet finishing off the play with his first VFL goal.

Emerging key-forward Harry Armstrong also kicked his first goal of the day which gave the Tigers the lead and some reward for their dominance, before he had another moments later.

The Tigers were on a hot streak and capitalised well, with small forward Jasper Alger kicking two quick goals as Richmond benefited from bringing immense tackling pressure all over the field.

It resulted in one of the Tigers' best quarters of the season, taking a 23-point lead into quarter-time, before they picked up from where they left off to start the second term.

Richmond kicked the first two goals of the term and pushed its lead beyond 30 points, but Port Melbourne wrestled back the momentum in the later part of the quarter, kicking three unanswered goals to cut the margin back to 14 points.

Still, it was an extremely positive first half from the Tigers who came into the clash with great intent and deserved to be in front at the main break.

After a tight tussle to start the premiership quarter, Port Melbourne got itself back within striking distance, bringing the margin back to just eight points. 

Just when the Tigers needed a lift, it was second-gamer Varlet who provided it as he ran onto the loose footy, burst through and kicked a lovely goal, pushing Richmond’s lead back out to 16 points.

Tom Hird was keeping the Borough alive though, slotting his fourth goal with another kicked after the three-quarter time siren, getting Port Melbourne as close as it had been all day.

It made for a tense finish in the final term, with Port Melbourne hitting the lead for the first time in a long time and while the Tigers had some great opportunities to win the game, they couldn't finish off their plays. 

They hit the front after Armstrong’s fourth goal, but the home side turned up the heat late and executed better in the dying stages of the game, running out 14-point winners at ETU Stadium.

There were plenty of positives for the Tigers, with young key forwards Armstrong (11 disposals, four goals) and Liam Fawcett (13 disposals, two goals) putting together strong games and continuing to build their form. 

Richmond will be hoping to finish its season on a high next weekend when it takes on St Kilda on Saturday from 2:05pm at RSEA Park. 

Port Melbourne   1.3   4.6   9.7   13.9 (87)  

Richmond   5.2   7.2   10.5   11.7 (73)

Goalkickers: Armstrong 4, Alger 2, Fawcett 2, Varlet 2, Garner