DUSTIN Martin and Ivan Soldo made successful returns from injury as a hungry Richmond ran away from Geelong in an entertaining practice match at GMHBA Stadium on Saturday.

Although the Tigers led 17.8 (110) to 12.20 (92) after four quarters before VFL players and several draftees took to the field, Cats fans also had plenty to be pleased with from the hitout.

Tyson Stengle was magnificent in his first game for Geelong and could have just solved its small forward riddle for coach Chris Scott.

After previous stints at Richmond and Adelaide before arriving at the Cattery in November as a delisted free agent, Stengle put on a masterclass to kick four goals and have a hand in plenty of other scoring chains.

The 23-year-old roamed up the ground to take marks, used precise kicking into the forward 50 and was then a handful when within range of goal.

Martin got through all four quarters, mostly onball, to complete his first serious hitout since suffering a kidney injury that wiped away the end of his 2021 season.

He was energetic, highly involved, and despite the odd mistake, showed his class in laying on a couple of goals with pinpoint kicks.

Soldo also got through after almost 18 months out with knee injuries, kicking two goals as a permanent forward.

Shai Bolton was fantastic for the Tigers, while Tom Lynch kicked three goals in a half of action before he was rested.

Tom Hawkins looked as good as ever with four goals, while Tom Stewart controlled the defensive 50 for Geelong.

After an additional two quarters were played, largely with VFL players, Geelong scraped home by five points, 20.27 (147) to 21.16 (142).

YOUNG GUNS
Geelong would be stoked with what it saw from Max Holmes. After 12 games in his debut season, Holmes was moved into the midfield and made a great fist of his chance, adding speed and defensive pressure around the contest, as well as some pinpoint kicking. The Tigers had plenty of young faces who impressed. Thomson Dow racked up plenty of disposals in his inside midfield role, Hugo Ralphsmith was aggressive at half-back and gathered a number of contested possessions, while No.9 draft pick Josh Gibcus hauled in a few intercept marks against the potent Cats forwards and became more involved as the match wore on.

SWITCHING POSITIONS
Aside from Max Holmes' successful switch to the midfield, Brad Close also played notably higher up the ground, spending time on the wing left vacant by the absent Mitch Duncan. Close was a good connector between the midfield and forwards and hurried his Richmond opponents with excellent pressure. He split his time forward as well. Joel Selwood, as he began to do last season, spent more time on the wing and half-forward than he did around the contest.

INJURY WATCH
Thankfully both teams appeared to get through unscathed. Kamdyn McIntosh tweaked his ankle early in the match after landing underneath Jeremy Cameron, but he returned to roar up and down the wing for four quarters. Shai Bolton landed awkwardly after a marking attempt in the final minutes, but hobbled off and was quickly back into a jog.

FANTASY TEMPTERS
Tom Stewart (DEF, $812,000) has been as reliable as any defender since he entered the AFL in 2017, and this season looks like being no different. Stewart was central to most things Geelong generated from its back half, gathering plenty of disposals and hauling in a stack of marks. He looked every bit as good as any stage of his career.

GEELONG       1.6       5.12     10.17  12.20 (92)
RICHMOND   4.3       7.4       11.5     17.8 (110)

GOALS
Geelong: Stengle 4, Hawkins 4, Cameron, Bews, Close, Tuohy
Richmond: Lynch 3, Bolton 3, Soldo 2, Castagna 2, Riewoldt 2, Baker 2, Nankervis, Edwards, Caddy