While Wallace might have issued a public apology to his old club earlier in the week, the Bulldogs showed no mercy on the field, a seven-goal-to-nil third quarter the catalyst in the 24.13 (157) to 14.5 (89) win.
However Rodney Eade’s side was forced to lift drastically after half time as the Tigers threatened to make Wallace’s swansong a night to remember.
Richmond had come back from the dead, booting four goals in almost as many minutes late in the second quarter to lead by two points at the main break.
The Tigers had trailed by 27 points midway through the term and the contest looked like being all over very early.
But the Bulldogs, who had 14 individual goalkickers, ran riot in the third term and didn’t give Richmond a sniff.
Midfielders Adam Cooney (33 disposals) Matthew Boyd (28) and Shaun Higgins (20 possessions and three goals) were superb, while Liam Picken did a magnificent job in stopping Tigers playmaker Brett Deledio.
The late withdrawal of Robert Murphy had no obvious effect on the Dogs, with Josh Hill (four goals) providing a great target and replacement Brennan Stack, while not overly prominent, looking a likely type up forward.
The Tigers had plenty of triers, most notably Daniel Jackson and workhorse Nathan Foley (both 30 touches).
Ryan Griffen, after an unusually subdued first half, kickstarted the Dogs’ dominant third term.
His running and penetrating disposal inside 50 was crucial, while Cooney showed signs he is also returning to his best form.
Picken booted two third-term goals and had Deledio follow him to the goal square at one stage as the Richmond star endured a horror night.
Earlier, despite the emotion of Wallace’s hurrah and a good crowd, the game itself seemed to lack intensity and feeling.
It took a magnificent – and see-sawing – second term to enliven the game after a surprisingly dull opening quarter.
While scores were level at the first break, neither side was able to assert itself in the opening 30 minutes as the two teams traded goals.
Richmond skipper Chris Newman was in everything in defence and helped set up a couple of his side’s four goals while the rejuvenated Mitch Morton booted three.
One felt an onslaught was coming from Eade’s men and it didn’t take long for them to click into gear.
Boyd was in the thick of things while Higgins shook off a scare to his right knee to prove a handful in attack as the Doggies got their running game going.
Jordan McMahon, who once called Whitten Oval home, cut the deficit to two points midway through the term before a run of four straight Bulldogs goals extended the lead to 27 points and it seemed it would be a matter of how far the Dogs.
But the Tigers hung tough.
Shane Tuck banged one through and one sensed by his celebration that Richmond wasn’t going away. However, the yellow and black barrage that followed was unexpected.
Unlikely goal source Adam Pattison bobbed up with two majors, Andrew Collins snapped truly and Tuck booted another to have the Tiger faithful roaring.
When Nathan Foley found Jack Riewoldt inside 50 just before the break – and he finished clinically – Richmond had not only pieced together its best passage of play for the evening but also, amazingly, taken the lead.
Unfortunately for Wallace, that would be as good as it got in his last game in charge at Punt Road.
The Bulldogs stormed clear after the break and will look to consolidate their position in the top four next week when they host Port Adelaide in Darwin.
Richmond, meanwhile, will return to Docklands next week to face West Coast – but with a new man at the helm.
Richmond 4.2 12.2 12.4 14.5 (89)
Western Bulldogs 4.2 11.6 18.10 24.13 (157)
GOALS
Richmond: Morton 3, Riewoldt 3, Pattison 2, Tuck 2, McMahon, Collins, Polo, Deledio
Western Bulldogs: Hill 4, Higgins 3, Picken 2, Hahn 2, Giansiracusa 2, Johnson 2, Gilbee 2, Ward, Akermanis, Boyd, Hargrave, Griffen, Cooney, Eagleton
BEST
Richmond: Jackson, Foley, Newman, Tuck, Collins
Western Bulldogs: Harbrow, Cooney, Picken, Ward, Higgins, Boyd, Johnson
INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Robert Murphy (hamstring), replaced in selected side by Brennan Stack
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Chamberlain, Meredith, McInerney
Official crowd: 36,483 at Docklands
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The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
