The Tigers fell an agonising three points short of staging an upset at AAMI Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
The visitors had the lead at the 25-minute-mark of the final term, but a goal and saving mark from Power veteran Warren Tredrea in the dying seconds denied Richmond its second win of 2009.
The Power, who finished with eight more scoring shots than their opponents, failed to put the game away after leading by five goals in the third term.
Williams admitted his side was fortunate to escape with the win.
“It was definitely [Richmond’s] best side for the year and they showed what they can do,” Williams said after the game.
“The scoring shots would say that Richmond was fortunate to be in the game [at three-quarter-time]. With a couple of minutes to go, we were certainly in trouble.
“They were kicking goals from over their heads – some terrific goals, but in the end, we were lucky.”
Williams ran out onto the ground to address his players immediately after the final siren.
He said he was hopeful the group could use the thrilling win as motivation for the rest of the year.
“We will continue to push the fact that you have to work hard,” Williams said.
“Tredders will remember that he played well that day and most people had little moments in the sun, but as a group we worked hard, kept going and kept believing that we could get a result.
Williams was also impressed by the performance of nominated Tigers’
rookie Robin Nahas. The 21-year-old kicked five goals and applied tremendous defensive pressure in just his sixth AFL game.
“He has never kicked five goals in a game, so I suppose he did [surprise us],” he said.
“He’s a great little player and it just proves that football is so versatile. You give opportunities to kids with names from foreign countries and little guys and away they go.”
The Power reported no new injuries from the three-point victory.
Kane Cornes, who overcame a shoulder injury to play his 135th-consecutive game, left the ground after being physically ill.
Williams attributed the vice-captain’s state to a virus.
