Richmond AFLW were overrun by a fast-finishing Adelaide by nine points on Saturday at the Swinburne Centre. 

The 5.6 (36) to 4.3 (27) loss consigns Richmond to a 0-2 start, having absolutely dominated nearly every facet of the game for the first three quarters in a heartbreaking loss.

Skipper Chelsea Randall played three quarters in the middle before being moved to half-forward, and the rejigged and more mature Crows outfit subsequently unsettled the Tigers, wresting control after the ball had lived in the home team's half.

Courtney Wakefield kicked two behinds early but the Tigers spearhead found the middle soon enough, booting two.

Richmond absolutely dominated territory in the first half, recording 24-6 inside 50s, with Adelaide backs Sarah Allan, Chelsea Biddell, Marijana Rajcic and Brooke Tonon defending grimly to hold the Tigers to only a two-point lead at the main break.

The third term was a torrid struggle, and it looked as if Adelaide was going to make Richmond pay for its inability to convert its dominance to scoreboard pressure, until defender Maddie Shevlin streamed forward to slot a running goal from 45m.

The small forwards from both sides enjoyed the work of the talls, with Emelia Yassir and Rachelle Martin snapping truly in the first half.

Monique Conti (26 disposals, five clearances) thrived going head-to-head with the likes of Anne Hatchard (26 and six) and Ebony Marinoff (22 and 11 tackles) in a star-studded midfield battle.

A tale of two teams

The match was a contrast in styles, with Richmond eager to lock the ball in its attacking half and aiming to get the ball forward at all costs with run, carry and pure chaos. By contrast, Adelaide wanted to control play with a kick-mark uncontested method. At one point in the third term, Richmond had 23 tackles inside 50 to zero, but poor disposal in its attacking zone and outstanding defence kept the Crows in the game.

Say what?

"The emotions are hard to explain. We're all flat as a tack in there. We've definitely moved on from competitive efforts, we're definitely ready to break through. We didn't break through today, so we're disappointed about that, but also we played a hell of a brand of footy and took it up to the reigning premier. We showed what we're capable of, but they showed us how to play big moments well and take your opportunities." – Richmond coach Ryan Ferguson

Up next

Richmond will host Hawthorn at the Swinburne Centre on Sunday.

RICHMOND 2.2 3.2 4.3 4.3 (27) ADELAIDE 2.0 3.0 3.1 5.6 (36)

GOALS Richmond: Wakefield 2, Yassir, Shevlin Adelaide: Ballard 2, Woodland, Prowse, Martin

BEST Richmond: Conti, Egan, Lavey, McKenzie, S.Hosking Adelaide: Hatchard, Biddell, Marinoff, Randall, Ballard

INJURIES Richmond: Nil Adelaide: Nil

Reports: Nil