An eight-goal second term wasn't enough to secure the win for Richmond against the Western Bulldogs on a wet Saturday evening at the MCG, who fought until the end but went down by five points. 

The Dogs led by 29 points early in the second term before Richmond rallied with a run of seven consecutive goals to lead by 14 points at the main break, only for Luke Beveridge's side to get the game back on their terms to win 12.17 (89) to 12.12 (84).

Richmond was kept to only two goals, both late, in a wet second half while the Dogs booted three fourth-quarter goals to pull away.

Shai Bolton's snap with 33 seconds left cut the margin to one kick, but the Dogs hung on, dominating inside 50s (16-6) and clearances (15-6) in the final term.

Richmond persisted with its run-and-gun style throughout the contest despite the conditions. The Tigers' style fuelled their eight-goal second term but it also led to turnovers.

Naughton booted three goals for the Dogs, while Tigers livewire Bolton managed three for Richmond along with two goal assists.

Daniel Rioli (29 disposals), Tim Taranto (27) and Liam Baker (25) were all busy for the Tigers, while Dustin Martin neared his brilliant best with 23 touches (15 contested) along with one goal and a equal game-high 10 score involvements.

The Dogs went 29 points up after Tim English's opportunistic soccered goal but Richmond responded with devastating offensive football, piling on seven unanswered goals before half-time, including two from Bolton who also set up another for Jacob Hopper.

Conditions worsened after the long break, with a collective 1.10 kicked in the third term, before substitute Mitch Hannan's snap from the pocket put the Dogs up early in the last.

Goals from Naughton and McComb opened up a 13-point buffer, with the Dogs holding on despite Tim Taranto and Bolton pegging the margin back late.

Tigers' stunning second-quarter blitz
Richmond may have lost, but its second-quarter blitz felt like a warning to opposition sides of its offensive weapons if the Tigers can get their whole game functioning at once. The Tigers went from a 29-point deficit to having the lead in barely 15 minutes, piling on goals at will. Coach Damien Hardwick will be left to rue why they couldn't play that way for four quarters, but they persisted with their handball-happy style (having 174-124 handballs for the game) but it often fell down, not helped by the rain. 

RICHMOND                       2.4   10.7    10.11  12.12 (84)
WESTERN BULLDOGS       6.3    8.5     9.11    12.17 (89)

GOALS
Richmond: Bolton 3, Lynch 2, Ryan, Cumberland, Clarke, Hopper, Ralphsmith, Martin, Taranto
Western Bulldogs: Naughton 3, Liberatore 2, English 2, Lobb, Daniel, Macrae, Hannan, McComb

BEST
Richmond: Baker, Martin, Pickett, Vlastuin, Bolton, Rioli
Western Bulldogs: Dale, Bontempelli, Naughton, Treloar, Bruce, Liberatore

INJURIES
Richmond: Graham (hamstring)
Western Bulldogs: Keath (concussion), Crozier (back)

SUBSTITUTES
Richmond: Trent Cotchin (replaced Jack Graham in second quarter)
Western Bulldogs: Mitch Hannan (replaced Alex Keath in first quarter)

Crowd: 56,449 at the MCG