JACK Riewoldt has lit up Metricon Stadium, putting on a 10-goal masterclass in Richmond's 74-point win over Gold Coast on Saturday.
Not only did Riewoldt kick the biggest bag of the AFL season, he leapfrogged four other players to take the lead in the Coleman Medal with 58 goals, four clear of Kangaroo Ben Brown.
The 19.11 (125) to 7.9 (51) win secures the Tigers a top-two spot regardless of what happens in the final fortnight.
On a day in which the Tigers looked to be going through the motions at times, Riewoldt put on a show at Metricon in front of 18,102 fans – majority of them wearing yellow and black.
His stat line was like something from a video game; 26 disposals, 14 marks, 12 of them inside 50 and 10.6.
"It was a great individual day for Jack, there's no doubt about that," Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said.
"The players know he's around the seven or eight goal mark … and then every ball is going to him.
"He's had a great season. He's improved his game in a different way again, which for me is a measure of a player that's gone from good to great."
Fittingly Riewoldt hit double figures with just two seconds remining to cap off the win.
The haul could have been even bigger though if the star forward kicked straight, with five of his misses from set shots and the other a left foot snap from 25m.
Riewoldt effectively put the game away in the first quarter, kicking 4.3 and making a mess of Gold Coast defenders Steven May and Kade Kolodjashnij, beating them on the lead time after time.
He kicked one goal in the second, three more in the third and with his teammates making a concerted effort to look for him in the final quarter, added another two to finish with 10.
May, Kolodjashnij and even Jack Leslie were given chances, but Riewoldt proved why he's the game's in-form forward, beating them all with speed and strength.
Despite looking for his own kick, he also had a goal assist and was part of another and finished with 20 score involvements.
Josh Caddy had an excellent day, kicking three of his four goals in the second quarter, but was overshadowed by his high-profile teammate.
It was another bleak game for the Suns with Pearce Hanley and Will Brodie both suffering hamstring injuries.
Gold Coast battled right until the end but were simply outclassed.
MEDICAL ROOM
Richmond: Clean bill of health for the Tigers. Returning stars Bachar Houli and Dion Prestia were both strong contributors in their first games back from injury.
NEXT UP
Richmond faces one of the tougher tests in footy at the moment next Friday night, facing a red-hot Essendon at the MCG. The Tigers have just six days to prepare.
GOLD COAST 1.1 3.5 3.8 7.9 (51)
RICHMOND 4.4 8.5 15.9 19.11 (125)
GOALS
Gold Coast: Leslie, Sexton, Swallow, Ah Chee, Weller, Young, Holman
Richmond: Riewoldt 10, Caddy 4, Ellis 2, Vlastuin, Edwards, Martin
BEST
Gold Coast: Hanley, Fiorini, Miller, Harbrow, Lyons
Richmond: Riewoldt, Caddy, Martin, Lambert, Short, Ellis
INJURIES
Gold Coast: Hanley (hamstring), Brodie (hamstring)
Richmond: TBC
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Brown, Findlay, Mitchell
Official crowd: 18,102 at Metricon Stadium
