Richmond’s VFL side fell two points short of pulling off a stellar upset against ladder-leader Casey at Punt Road Oval last Sunday.

The Tigers threw everything at the Scorpions, but a handful of missed opportunities in the nail-biting final few minutes saw Casey salute, 11.12 (78) to 11.10 (76).

The Richmond side showcased it was keen to build on its strong final term last week, with consistency of pressure, effort and intensity at front of mind.

The fact that the Tigers were down two rotations in the final term, as Jacob Ballard (concussion) and Adam Marcon (shoulder) were left to watch on, made their effort all that more admirable.

The Tigers fought tooth and nail in the tense final term, but Casey simply took its chances when they presented, as Richmond simply couldn’t land the killer blow.

The final term was littered with near misses, crucial contests and match-defining moments, as both sides wrestled to gain the upper-hand.

Richmond’s fate was sealed when Ryan Gale was disallowed an intercept mark inside Casey’s forward 50, as the Scorpions clung to their two-point lead, and the siren sounded moments later.

The game began as many thought it would, with Casey exerting its dominance around the ball and stifling Richmond’s spring from its back-half line.

The Scorpions' intense pressure suffocated the Tigers, as the hosts struggled to garner any flow or overlap through the middle of the ground.

Casey slammed on the first three majors in the opening 10 minutes as the Tigers were left scrounging for answers.

Unlike last week however, the Tigers rallied and gradually, through pressure and effort, got the game played on their terms and were ignited by wingman Tom Silvestro’s exquisite opening major.

The Tigers rattled the Scorpions with their manic pressure, allowing Liam McBean to find Andrew Moore deep in attack as the bullocking on-baller cut the margin to just seven points.

Richmond dominated the inside-50 count 8–0 in the final 10 minutes of the term, as it grasped the momentum.

Richmond VFL coach Craig McRae implored his charges to turn up the heat around the ball in the second term — and the Tigers did just that.

Richmond livewire Daniel Rioli led the charge in the pressure stakes in the second stanza as he hunted and harassed the Scorpions into submission.

Rioli laid a remarkable eight first-half tackles and ended the game with 13, in what was an eye-catching return to football.

The Tigers went on to slot four goals to three and trailed by three points at the main change.

The hosts were +6 in contested ball and +5 in tackles in the second term, both key areas of focus in the lead-up.

Richmond dominated the early-going in the third term but failed to capitalise, as Casey kicked a trio of majors midway through the quarter and streaked to a 19-point lead.

With the game dangling by a thread, the Tigers needed to arrest back the momentum — in stepped Jason Castagna.

The Richmond dynamo rekindled his side's hopes with a duo of scintillating majors and when McBean massaged his set-shot through, he cut the margin to just two points.

Rioli’s long range shot in the shadows of three-quarter time tied up the scores as it just slid across the face of goal.

It was all set-up for a pulsating final term.

Casey took the early lead before Richmond’s enigmatic forward Dan Butler was “Johnny on the spot” with his right-foot soccer slicing the margin to a solitary point.

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The scent of an upset was in the air when Castagna classily snapped his third, handing the Tigers a four-point lead at the 19-minute mark, but unfortunately Casey hit back.

The Scorpions snatched a three-point lead at the 22-minute mark, but Richmond still refused to yield.

Unfortunately, the Tigers simply lacked the right amount of polish at the right time, as the Scorpions held on in a dramatic finish.

Castagna verified his AFL-credentials as he bundled three goals with 23 disposals, while McBean (two goals) and Andrew Moore (team-high 24 disposals) also pushed their claim.

Richmond won the tackle count 81–69 in what was a key focus leading into clash.

The Tigers head to Whitten Oval to face Footscray on Saturday, July 9 at 2pm.