The Roos started well in the opening quarter, moving the ball quickly and directly to its forward targets, including Nathan Thompson, David Hale and Jade Rawlings, but the Tigers steadied late in the term and were the better team for the rest of the game.
Summing up the display from the Kangaroos was the fact that spearhead Thompson kicked five goals for the day but in the last term, when he continued to battle hard, he hit the post on three occasions.
Thompson was clearly his side's best player - while Brent Haryey, Adam Simpson and Daniel Harris all won more than 20 touches for the Roos.
To further cap off the dirty day for the Roos, Jade Rawlings had his number taken after cleaning up Richmond's Richard Tambling with the type of front-on bump that has dominated footy talk this week, while Daniel Wells came off hurt late in the final term.
The Tigers have now won six of their past eight encounters and are teetering on the top-eight in ninth position, after languishing on the bottom at the conclusion of the first four rounds.
After seven lead changes early in the match, the Tigers took hold of the match at the 13-minute mark of the second term, when Chris Hyde answered. From that point, they never looked back.
Kayne Petttifer was terrific with four goals, while the Bowden brothers - Joel and Patrick - won plenty of the ball with 52 possessions between them. Big man Troy Simmonds continued his underrated season in the ruck, while Andy Kellaway was a fine contributor.
Nathan Brown, in his comeback match - he had not played since round three after difficulties with the leg he broke badly last season - came on at the nine-minute mark of the first quarter and finished the match with two goals and 14 disposals.
The first major was on the board within the opening minute of the match, when Patrick Bowden slammed one home for the Tigers. And early on, it was goal-for-goal, until Thompson broke the trend with two of his own.
Four lead changes occurred during the first term and the biggest lead was a 10-point advantage to the Kangaroos, yet the Roos should have been further in front, had they not squandered several opportunities in front of goal.
As a result, the Kangas only took a four-point lead into quarter-time, after Pettifer jagged one back for the Tigers just before the first change.
The see-sawing trend continued early in the second term, until Richmond regained the lead at the 13-minute mark. The Tigers then posted three in a row and at half-time held a 14-point lead.
Richmond broke away to a 26-point margin early in the third term, but when Thompson bobbed up with a couple and Corey Jones kicked truly, the deficit was cut back to just eight points.
But Pettifer soon hit back with two of his own and when Andrew Krakouer jagged one just before three-quarter-time, the Tigers were back to out to a 28-point lead.
The final term was a low-scoring affair, with just three goals recorded, which thwarted any thought of a Kangaroos' comeback.
Kangaroos coach Dean Laidley conceded his side's efficiency in front of goal was costly in the wash-up.
"Our goal-kicking … it's to do with the decision-making process, because it's your confidence and when your confidence goes, you try and play safe and you don't play with the free abandon and you've got those shackles on you," Laidley said.
"If you go back to this time last year, those same blokes were kicking the goals and hitting their targets, but confidence is such a wonderful thing."
Tigers coach Terry Wallace was pleased that the majority of his younger brigade was able to perform well in the absence of key forward Matthew Richardson and found it hard to fault the work rate of his players after quarter-time.
"I just thought today was a good methodical victory for the footy club," he said.
"We were coming back from a Perth game, we were in a situation where you've got your key player (Richardson) out and you've got your first game back for another of your key players at the club in Nathan Brown."
"There was more emphasis on the younger players being able to step up and do their jobs and they were fairly methodical I thought."
RICHMOND: 3.2, 7.5, 13.8, 15.12 (102)
KANGAROOS: 3.6, 4.9, 8.10, 9.13 (67)
GOALS - Richmond: Pettifer 4, Brown 2, Meyer 2, P Bowden, Tivendale, Simmonds, Kellaway, Krakouer, Hyde, J Bowden
Kangaroos: Thompson 5, Co. Jones, Green, J Rawlings, Harvey
BEST - Richmond: P Bowden, Simmonds, J Bowden, Pettifer, Deledio, Raines, Tuck, Tivendale
Kangaroos: Thompson, Harris, Wells, Simpson, Pratt, Harvey
INJURIES - Richmond: Kangaroos:
CHANGES - Kangaroos: Firrito (leg) replaced in selected side by Thurley
REPORTS - Kangaroos: Jade Rawlings reported by umpire Shaun Ryan for engaging in rough conduct against Richard Tambling in the first quarter
UMPIRES - Kamolins, Ryan, Nicholls
CROWD - 42,841 at the MCG
