The Swans won 16.15 (111) to 7.14 (56) on a back of a dominant first half.
It was the Swans' eighth consecutive win against Richmond, extending a streak that stretches back to round 14, 2005 when the Tigers prevailed by a solitary point at the MCG.
That illustrious occasion was a distant memory on Saturday night as the Swans enjoyed near-complete control in the first half.
They booted the first nine goals of the game to lead by 54 points before Shane Edwards broke the Tigers' drought midway through the second quarter.
Richmond put up a brief fight in the third term, slotting three consecutive majors to stem the tide, but it was a short-lived renaissance.
The Swans held Richmond at arm's length in a lacklustre final term, in which injury was added to the Tigers' insult when youngster Relton Roberts was knocked unconscious and carried from the field.
First-year Tiger Dustin Martin showed up his more experienced teammates with a superb game in midfield, while Edwards and Daniel Jackson were also among the few visitors to shine.
In contrast, Brownlow Medallist Ben Cousins was blanketed from the opening moments of the game by Marty Mattner and failed to have exert any influence.
The Swans travel to Etihad Stadium to face North Melbourne in round four while Richmond returns to the MCG to take on Melbourne.
Sydney Swans 6.4 10.6 13.13 16.15 (111)
Richmond 0.4 1.8 4.10 7.14 (56)
GOALS
Sydney Swans: Bradshaw 4, McGlynn 3, Goodes 2, O'Keefe, Kennedy, Jack, Moore, Mumford, Bolton, Malceski
Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Edwards, Simmonds, Nason, Deledio
BEST:
Sydney Swans: McGlynn, Malceski, Grundy, Bradshaw, McVeigh, J. Bolton
Richmond: Jackson, Edwards, Riewoldt, Martin, Nason, Deledio
INJURIES
Sydney Swans: Moore (ankle)
Richmond: Roberts (concussion)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Hay, Wenn, Jeffery
Official crowd: 28,414 at SCG
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
