Melbourne’s combative win over Richmond came with a hefty price tag, but onballer Dom Tyson says it’s important opposition teams know the Demons won’t be pushed around any more.

Six Melbourne players were slapped with almost $10,000 in fines by the AFL match review panel on Monday after an at-times spiteful encounter that included a quarter-time melee and a crude hit on Jack Watts by Alex Rance.

“It was good that we stood up for mates in those situations,” Tyson said on Monday.

“It probably didn’t effect the result of the game but it’s good to show the supporters that we’re invested in the game.”

Rance can accept a two-match ban after he dropped his forearm into the back of Watts’ head late in the pressure-packed 33-point win.

Jack Viney remonstrated strongly with the Tigers defender in the immediate aftermath of the incident but escaped sanction.

“Jack was first on the scene and looked after Wattsy,” Tyson said.

“You’ve got to show emotion, it’s a game of emotion and passion as well, and he’s probably the bloke that plays with the most passion and emotion out there.

“Certainly we feed off a bloke like Jack out on the field.

“He’s just an animal in there, he’s a bull at a gate, he’s just good to play with.”

The Demons saw off every Richmond challenge to improve to a 3-2 win-loss record and log back-to-back wins for the first time since 2011.

“It certainly felt like a mature win,” Tyson said.

“We had a lot of contributions from a lot of blokes.

“We feel like we’ve had a good month of footy and it’s good to see that we’re getting some wins for the effort.”