It was a case of summer in autumn as Southport brought the weather with them to Punt Road Oval as Richmond VFL hosted their Queensland rivals on a radiant Sunday morning.

Five debutants donned the Yellow and Black jumper for the first time, with the Tiger Army getting their first glimpse of 2021 draftee, Sam Banks.

In a highly-contested and entertaining affair in sweltering conditions, Richmond set their benchmark for 2022 with a 31-point win over the Sharks.

The Tigers were down two or three rotations at times in steamy conditions but didn’t falter, the final score reading, 16.4 (100) to 10.9 (69).

There was a taste of Tigerland with Southport as cult, and Homecoming, Hero, Jacob Townsend made his Sharks’ debut, pitted against his old side.

Townsend proved to be a thorn for Richmond, kicking three goals in the opening quarter, keeping the visitors in touch.

The temperature wasn’t the only thing heating up, as both sides exuded great pressure around the contest and a willingness to take the game on in transition.

Southport kicked the opening two goals before the Tigers kicked into gear.

Steely-eyed midfielder, Riley Collier-Dawkins showed great intent from the opening bounce and capitalised on manic forward pressure to snap Richmond’s first goal of the morning.

Collier-Dawkins’ response to his game the week previous was a testament to the pride he has, as he led from the front with his thirst for the contest.

Tassie product, Banks gave the fans in attendance a glimpse of things to come, slotting a classy goal on the run.

Banks’ minutes were managed, completing run-throughs at the main break and only played the first half.

Maurice Rioli Jnr then set the crowd alight, soaring high to clutch a genuine hanger, then importantly converted his set-shot.

Richmond’s pressure gauge was spiking in the second term, as it put a gap between itself and Southport with a five-goal-to-one quarter.

With the crowd and pressure building, Sydney Stack worked himself into the game and cashed in with two goals for the quarter.

Stack played down back in the first quarter and must have had a penchant for the northern end of Punt Road Oval, as he shifted to a forward role and was forever dangerous.

The dynamic Tiger highlighted his toughness and resilience after injuring his left elbow in the third quarter, but gritted his teeth and played out the majority of the final term.

Tyler Sonsie is another who the Richmond faithful has bubbling excitement for and if his silky goal on his left following a forward-half turnover is a sign of things to come, then that excitement could bubble over in years to come.

Sonsie’s silky skills were on show in the second half, as Richmond’s midfield brigade started to gain ascendency.

The Sharks upped the ante late in the second quarter, however the Tigers, led by skipper, Lachlan Street held them at bay.

Tom Brown, Rhyan Mansell and Bigoa Nyuon were staunch in halting Southport’s momentum surges and propelled Richmond forward on the rebound.

Fleet-of-foot half-forward, Judson Clarke opened our third-quarter account with a classy goal on the run from the paint of 50, the first of six for the term.

The Sharks then kicked back-to-back goals, cutting Richmond’s lead to 16 points.

The budding Tigers needed a steady head to halt Southport’s momentum and they turned to newly appointed skipper, Lachlan Street.

Street collected a loose ball at half forward, streamed inside 50 and slotted a goal on the run to inspire his side.

The hulking onballer then sensed the moment on the stroke of three-quarter time, easing through a set-shot from a tight angle and saluted accordingly.

Noah Cumberland built on his solid pre-season form with another positive showing at half forward, slotting two goals, his second a beauty from beyond the arc.

Mykelti Lefau was another who bagged two goals in the third term as he constantly provided a sturdy target inside 50.

Lefau’s pack crushing efforts created chances for his teammates and constantly drew praise from Richmond’s bench and the Tiger faithful in attendance.

Another debutant, John Jorgensen jagged two goals in the final term and like Lefau, provided a burly target deep in attack.

All-in-all, Richmond produced a strong and even performance across the board to build on next week as it heads to Trevor Barker Beach Oval to take on Sandringham.

RICH: 3.1        8.2       14.2     16.4 (100)

STHP: 3.0       4.2       7.5       10.9 (69)

Goal Kickers

Rich: Stack (2), Street (2), Jorgensen (2), Lefau (2), Cumberland (2), Sonsie, Rioli Jnr, Clarke, Collier-Dawkins, Cumberland, Banks