The odds seemed heavily stacked against the Tigers, as they made the trek west to do battle with unbeaten ladder leader Fremantle in a crucial Friday night contest.

Richmond had restored some balance to its season with three consecutive wins after slumping to a 2-4 record six rounds in.

This, however, was by far the Tigers’ biggest test of the year, and their chances of winning were rated by those outside Punt Road as remote, to say the least.

Just 10 minutes into the match at Domain Stadium, the large, fanatical, home crowd was sitting in stunned silence, with Richmond having scored four goals to nil.

Those goals came from the boots of Ty Vickery, Ben Griffiths, Brett Deledio and Dustin Martin.

It was a blistering first-quarter onslaught by the Tigers, who bamboozled Fremantle through quick ball movement and clinical efficiency.

The Dockers registered their first goal nearly 12 minutes into the opening term, before Richmond hit back strongly with the next four through Griffiths, Vickery, Shaun Grigg and Deledio.

Although Fremantle managed to kick the last two goals of the first quarter, the Tigers had turned the match on its head with their breathtaking start – 8.1 (49) to 3.1 (19).

Incredibly, Richmond scored seven goals from its first eight inside-50 entries.

The Tigers had a kicking efficiency of 78 percent in the opening term, compared to the Dockers’ 64 percent.

Fremantle had conceded just 62 points per game in the opening nine rounds of the season, but Richmond already had eight goals on the board at quarter-time.

It was the first time that the Dockers, under Ross Lyon’s coaching, had conceded eight goals in an opening quarter. And, it was just the second time that any team coached by Lyon had been on the receiving end of an eight-goal first term.

Inevitably, Fremantle fought back, but the closest it got to the slick, fiercely-determined Tigers’ outfit was 20 points.

The final siren signalled a magnificent 27-point win to Richmond – 15.7 (97) to 10.10 (70).