Richmond fought hard but were unable to match a Melbourne side who made it 13 straight wins since round 19 last year, with a 9.22 (76) to 8.6 (54) win in front of a huge Anzac Day eve crowd at the MCG.

The Tigers, who were coming off a shock loss to Adelaide, came out firing with fierce pressure around the ball as Liam Baker's goal late in the second quarter gave them a surprise halftime lead.

But the weight of numbers, 64 inside-50s to 42, eventually overwhelmed the Tigers as Demons forwards Sam Weideman (three goals) and Bayley Fritsch (two) combined nicely.

Richmond converting their chances early kept them in the match as Melbourne's score was 3.13 before finding their groove with five third-quarter goals.

Christian Petracca had a quieter game, but fellow Demons superstar Clayton Oliver stepped up to earn best-on-ground honours with 41 possessions, 22 of them contested.

Richmond's best were mainly in the back half, a reflection of where the ball spent most of its time.

Nick Vlastuin (30 disposals), Nathan Broad (22) and Jayden Short (29) racked up midfielders' numbers, while Josh Gibcus (18 disposals and 12 marks) impressed again and may have claims on a Rising Star nomination despite the result.

The Tigers lost Thomson Dow (thigh) in the third quarter and the young midfielder was subbed out for Matt Parker.

Richmond have just five days to regroup before playing struggling West Coast at Optus Stadium on Friday night

RICHMOND 2.2 5.3 7.4 8.6 (54)
MELBOURNE 2.6 3.12 8.19 9.22 (76)

GOALS
Richmond: Lynch 2, Riewoldt 2, Baker, Bolton, Graham, Rioli
Melbourne: Weideman 3, Fritsch 2, Brown, Langdon, Petracca, Spargo

BEST
Richmond: Vlastuin, Short, Graham, Prestia, Gibcus, Rioli
Melbourne: Oliver, Langdon, Neal-Bullen, Sparrow, Petracca, Weideman

INJURIES
Richmond: Dow (leg)
Melbourne: Dunstan (head)

SUBSTITUTES
Richmond: Matthew Parker (replaced Thomson Dow in the third quarter)
Melbourne: Toby Bedford (unused)