From Hawaii to Punt Road Oval.

Mate Colina was used to wading in the sultry waters of Waikīkī; on Wednesday night he found himself making his VFL debut against Werribee on an icy and still mid-week night.

Colina got the crowd buzzing after a telescopic mark on the paint of 50, the giant key forward couldn’t resist Maurice Rioli Jnr streaming passed, hitting Rioli with a handball, who then composed himself to kick the Tigers’ first.

The category B rookie played out three-and-a-half quarters, splitting his time between forward and ruck and got through his first hit-out unscathed ready to tackle next week.

The round 12 contest under lights showed early promise for Richmond, unfortunately the well-oiled machine that is Werribee held the Tigers at arm’s length, clinching a 37-point win.

The Tigers of the south-west had answers to all the questions asked by their hosts, the final score reading 13.13 (91) to 8.6 (54).

Werribee showed its intent from the outset, blasting the ball inside 50 from the opening bounce and nailing the first goal.

Rioli’s goal followed and the faithful started to warm-up before the Tigers from down the Princes Highway slotted back-to-back goals.

Richmond arrested back momentum as Colina provided a beacon in the front half.

Unfortunately for the home side, they couldn’t garner momentum on the scoreboard as Werribee took a 14-point lead into quarter time.  

Jacob Bauer would have been a little more accustomed to the conditions he encountered in his Yellow and Black debut.

The springy key forward from North Adelaide made the move from Sydney to the SANFL powerhouse to put himself in an “elite environment” which culminated in Bauer finding his way to Tigerland.

Bauer warmed into his role in the second term, launching himself at the ball in the air, crashing packs and exerting his physical influence.

The mid-season draftee gave the Tiger Army something to cheer about in the final term, as Bauer marked with authority inside 50 and then pierce the ball through the teeth of goal.

His first major was just an entrée, with Bauer providing a focal point in attack, showcasing his marking prowess and veracity in front of goal.

Three goals in his first outing as a Tiger showed promise of things to come.

Another SANFL product, Rhyan Mansell injected life into Richmond early in the second term, putting his head over the ball inside forward 50 and drawing a free kick for his troubles.

Importantly for the Tigers, Mansell watched the canary yellow Sherrin sail through the goals into the night sky.

Werribee sensed the Tigers turning the tide and swiftly piled on three majors to push the margin out to 29 points.

Richmond’s effort couldn’t be questioned, but its execution in transition and ability to win contests forward of the ball were lacking, which meant it couldn’t keep the ball trapped in its half.

Trailing by 29 points, in the shadows of half-time, Noah Cumberland skated onto a loose ball in the Royal Hotel pocket and sliced through his first major in sync with the siren.

The goal and hope flickering for the Tigers as they entered the main break, intent of changing their fortunes.

The script remained unchanged however, with Werribee flexing its muscle and maximising its chances inside 50 with four goals for the third term.

Richmond changed the complexion of the game briefly late in the third term as Sam Banks kickstarted a chain from the back-half, which led to Sydney Stack nabbing a forward-half intercept.

Stack showed his innate awareness to find Tylar Young on a sharp lead, who marked strongly.

The defender-turned-forward gathered himself in foreign territory to snap his first goal of the night and Richmond’s only major of the third term.

Werribee led by 41 points at the final change and briskly made it 48 points before Richmond found its groove.

The home Tiger outfit gained reward for their momentum as Bauer jagged a trio of goals in the final term and Rioli Jnr sparkled with his second.

It wasn’t Richmond’s night, however its evolving maturity shone through as it stuck to the task and fought it out until the end.

RICH   1.2       3.2       4.4       8.6 (54)

WERR 3.4       6.7       10.9     13.13 (91)

Goal Kickers:

Richmond: Bauer (3), Rioli Jnr (2), Cumberland, Young, Mansell