1. Listless Lions' effort heaps more pressure on Leppa
On the day of the club's Hall of Fame celebration, and sporting the Fitzroy jumper from 1916, the Lions were consigned to their 10th consecutive loss. More problematic for coach Justin Leppitsch was the nature of the defeat, with his side barely firing a shot after booting the opening two goals of the match. At times, Richmond moved the ball through the middle of the ground with barely a Lions player in sight. The poor performance will put a sombre note on what should be a great night for the club.
2. Tigers keep building momentum
Richmond has not lost to the Lions since round seven, 2009 and this wasn't the game the hoodoo would be broken. The result meant the Tigers have won five of their last six. While a finals berth looks near impossible, Damien Hardwick would want his side to finish the year off strongly ahead of 2017. Port Adelaide (at Adelaide Oval) and the Western Bulldogs (Etihad Stadium) in the next two weeks will provide a true test of how much Richmond has improved since losing six consecutive matches earlier this season.
WATCH: Jack attack slays Lion cubs
3. Dusty improves his Brownlow Medal chances
Hardwick demanded a strong performance from Dustin Martin after correctly predicting he would receive the attention of in-form tagger Mitch Robinson. Although Robinson left the ground early in the second term after being concussed, Martin had already gathered eight disposals in the first quarter and the Lion didn't appear to bother him. It opened up for Martin even more after Robinson was injured. Daniel Rich spent much of the remainder of the contest matched up on Dusty, but he was clearly outpointed by the fend-off expert, who finished with 35 disposals in a best on ground performance that will likely see him pick up three votes from the umpires.
A lucky leg-break gives @Richmond_FC their first goal of the quarter. #AFLTigersLions https://t.co/rl54dIH2Dq
— AFL (@AFL) June 25, 2016
4. On the other hand, Pearce Hanley disappoints
In a Lions team low on experience, the established stars need to perform every week if the Lions are to at least be competitive. That makes it especially disappointing that Hanley was so poor. He collected only 10 disposals, had four clangers and was barely sighted. His worst moment came in the third quarter, when he gave away a 50m penalty for umpire abuse, which allowed Nick Vlastuin to extend the lead to 56 points. Even worse, he wasn't paying any attention to manning the mark while Vlastuin kicked the goal. Not a good look from one of the vice-captains.
5. Vickery's moment of magic
He's so often the whipping boy, but Tyrone Vickery gave Tigers fans a reason to smile when he snapped his team's ninth goal of the game. Using his left boot, he floated the ball through to provide what was arguably the contest's best highlight. Perhaps even better was his response, a small shrug of the shoulders to the crowd before turning to celebrate with his teammates, as if to signify that he, like everyone else, wasn't expecting a goal either.
Even Vickery can't believe he slotted this goal! #AFLTigersLions https://t.co/pzceIyF8m9
— AFL (@AFL) June 25, 2016