Richmond rolled to a 121-point win over Greater Western Sydney on Sunday in an AFL clash at Skoda Stadium that represented the very antithesis of finals football.
The Tigers booted 11 goals in a second-quarter blitz that was just nine points short of the club’s highest-scoring term in its 105-year history, before cruising to a 25.13 (163) to 6.6 (42) victory.
Not since Fitzroy’s penultimate game, a 151-point loss to the Tigers in 1996, has Richmond destroyed a team in such a ruthless fashion.
Coming off an upset loss to Carlton, the visitors made as big a statement as they could have against a young side that, like the Lions in 1996, look destined to finish the season with one win.
Aaron Edwards booted five goals for Richmond, who had 12 different goal-scorers, while Dustin Martin had a game-high 33 disposals.
Richmond’s percentage was given a timely boost ahead of their first finals campaign in 12 years, rising from 114.6 to 121.4 ahead of Saturday night’s final-round clash with Essendon.
The Tigers claimed fifth spot on the ladder in the process, overtaking Collingwood and the Bombers.
There were few signs in the first quarter of the shellacking ahead.
GWS debutant Kristian Jaksch kicked the opening goal with his first AFL kick and Liam Sumner slotted a major on the stroke of quarter-time to reduce the Tigers’ lead to 10 points at the first break.
The Giants’ next goal wouldn’t come until the eighth minute of the third term, with Richmond piling on 89 points in-between.
Far too many of Richmond’s 14 consecutive goals resembled training drills, with loose men everywhere queuing up to get their name on the scoreboard.
Injured spearhead Jack Riewoldt dished off three goals and kicked one himself in the rot, while Edwards had already booted 4.2 by halftime.
The Giants found some resolve after halftime and stemmed the bleeding, while Tigers coach Damien Hardwick substituted captain Trent Cotchin out of the game in the third quarter.
The floodgates opened again in the final term, while at the other end of the ground Jeremy Cameron was held goal-less for the first time this season.
Richmond key defender Alex Rance was magnificent on Cameron, who now trails Hawthorn forward Jarryd Roughead by four goals in the race to the Coleman medal.
With GWS away to Gold Coast in the last game of Kevin Sheedy’s 29th VFL/AFL season as head coach, the match was heavily promoted as the four-time premiership mentor’s Sydney swansong.
The Giants at least had a win in this regard, drawing a record Skoda Stadium crowd of 12,314 to the match.
Officials and players from both GWS and Richmond formed a guard of honour for Sheedy at the end of the match.