TOBY Greene has faced Richmond in front of far more people in games with far more on the line, but that didn't stop Greater Western Sydney's captain from producing a vintage performance on Sunday. 

Round 18 in the middle of winter, with 19,040 people in the house, isn't a Grand Final or a preliminary final, but four goals and four goal assists was the match-winning performance the Giants needed to make another move on the ladder by defeating the Tigers by 24 points at the MCG. 

TIGERS v GIANTS Full match coverage and stats

After a patchy few months, the Giants backed up last Saturday night's season-igniting win over Carlton at Engie Stadium to win back-to-back games for the first time since round four, when they left Canberra 5-0 for the first time in the club's history. 

But it was far from convincing against the side stuck on the bottom of the ladder as they recorded a 17.6 (108) to 12.12 (84) victory. They weren't home until veteran Callan Ward kicked a goal in time-on to extinguish a gutsy fourth-quarter fightback from the Tigers. 

Richmond amassed 17 more inside 50s, nine more clearances and won contested ball by seven, but Greater Western Sydney turned 66.7 per cent of its entries into scores on the back of 18 marks inside 50. The Giants took their chances, the Tigers didn't.  

Jesse Hogan made the most of his opportunities to convert four goals and move within four goals of Carlton superstar Charlie Curnow in the Coleman Medal race, joining Ben King in equal second spot.

Tom Green amassed plenty of leather, as he has all season, finishing with 37 disposals and seven tackles, while Lachie Whitfield cut Richmond apart from half-back, accumulating 35 touches, including 21 kicks. 

But the win came at a cost for Adam Kingsley's men with midfielder Stephen Coniglio substituted out of the game at the final break due to another concerning issue with his shoulder. 

Richmond skipper Toby Nankervis was locked in an enthralling battle with Giants ruckman Kieren Briggs, with both big men making an impact.

Liam Baker gave Richmond the perfect start with a goal after just 75 seconds, before Greater Western Sydney started linking up between the arcs to punish the Tigers. Darcy Jones got it started, then Hogan and Greene converted set shots. Alarm bells were ringing early. 

Richmond responded. It hit the post twice and should have been closer, but when Rhyan Mansell made Finn Callaghan pay for a costly turnover exiting defensive 50, the Tigers got some reward, reaching the first break within a kick of the Giants. 

Greene was in everything early in the second quarter. First, he handed back a mark after being penalised for a frustrating high fend-off. Then, the All-Australian skipper pinned Tim Taranto holding the ball, converting the shot for his second. 

After a handful of wasted chances, Shai Bolton flaunted his class by pouncing on a front and centre ball, either side of bad misses by Jacob Koschitzke, keeping the Tigers within striking distance. 

Despite having only two wins on the board and facing a first wooden spoon since 2007, Richmond showed up on Sunday. But so did Greene. Greater Western Sydney's captain hasn't reached the same heights of his career year in 2023, but he was the difference in the first half, adding a brilliant goal assist to Ward to a strong first half. 

Adem Yze's side didn't drop off after half-time. Koschitzke kicked the opening goal of the second half, but then the class of Greene was on show again with a coast-to-coast goal. When Hogan wove through traffic moments later, after collecting the ball off his laces, the margin was 20 points and the Giants had a buffer. Every time the Tigers countered, Greater Western Sydney responded. Again, it was Greene with a moment of brilliance that gave Toby Bedford the chance to burst through and kick a goal. 

Richmond didn't drop its bundle late, even when Taranto was forced off the ground with concussion after a Bedford tackle. But it could never get close enough to trouble GWS, remaining on the bottom of the ladder.

Shoulder concerns for Coniglio
Stephen Coniglio has endured a frustrating season with injury in 2024 and faces an uncertain immediate future after being substituted out with another shoulder injury at three-quarter time. The West Australian dislocated his shoulder in the win over Geelong in round 11 and missed a month. Further damage could result in surgery earlier than planned at the end of the season. 

MRO scrutiny for GWS tagger 
Toby Bedford has been getting some big jobs in recent months after being activated as an unlikely tagger a month ago against Port Adelaide. Adam Kingsley sent him to Tim Taranto and he struggled to contain the reigning Jack Dyer medallist. Bedford will face some MRO scrutiny after a chase down tackle in the last quarter ended Taranto's day due to concussion.

Small forward grabs his opportunity
All it takes is a chance. Steely Green took his chance on Sunday. The West Australian has been forced to bide his time in the VFL this season, but after being rewarded with a third appearance, Green showed he can play a role in the rebuild at Punt Road. The 20-year-old kicked three goals in a classy performance at the MCG, putting his hand up to stay in the team in the closing weeks of the season.

RICHMOND                                    3.4     6.7     8.10     12.12 (84)  
GREATER WESTERN SYDNEY        4.3     9.4     14.5      17.6 (108)  

GOALS
Richmond: Green 3, Mansell 2, Koschitzke 2, Bolton 2, Ryan, Rioli, Baker
Greater Western Sydney: Hogan 4, Greene 4, Ward 2, Thomas, Riccardi, McMullin, Jones, Cadman, Briggs, Bedford

BEST
Richmond: Nankervis, Prestia, Taranto, Green, Hopper
Greater Western Sydney: Greene, Whitfield, Green, Hogan, Briggs

INJURIES
Richmond: Taranto (concussion)
Greater Western Sydney: Coniglio (shoulder)

SUBSTITUTES
Richmond: James Trezise (replaced Tyler Sonsie at three-quarter time)
Greater Western Sydney: James Peatling (replaced Stephen Coniglio at three-quarter time)

Crowd: 19,040 at the MCG