North led for most of the day after establishing a 22-point lead by quarter-time, but the Tigers never let the Kangaroos get out of reach at any stage during the game.
The Tigers closed to within 10 points by half-time and, while North had stretched its lead to 13 points at three-quarter time, Richmond played inspired football in the final quarter, no one more so than second-year player Dustin Martin and spearhead Jack Riewoldt.
Martin starred in the midfield and up forward, kicking four goals.
The young Tigers' strength was jaw-dropping, as he regularly outmuscled more experienced and bulkier opponents like Scott Thompson and Michael Firrito.
Critically, Martin won a controversial free kick for a push against Andrew Swallow 20m out from goal with five minutes to go in the game, his subsequent goal putting the Tigers up by five-points.
He then got a short kick forward in heavy traffic a minute later to set up a Jake King goal that put the Tigers 11 points up.
Riewoldt kicked two final quarter goals for the Tigers, helping his team boot seven goals for the term to the Kangaroos’ two.
Riewoldt was outstanding for the Tigers all day, completely outpointing Nathan Grima to finish with five goals for the match.
For North, Drew Petrie shook off his slow start to the season, starring up forward with six goals for the game, including two in the final quarter.
The Kangaroos remain winless and now face a must-win game against Port Adelaide at Etihad Stadium next Saturday.
Influential players
Martin may be just 19 and in his second year of football but already he exerts a dominant physical presence on games. Though he was drafted primarily as a midfielder, it was up forward that Martin did most damage against the Kangaroos.
Not only did he kick four goals, he at times brushed aside seasoned-body players like Scott Thompson and Michael Firrito as if they were undersized juniors. With 33 possessions, including 12 contested disposals and four clearances, he was best on ground.
What it means
Richmond now boasts the reasonable return of a win and draw from a tough first five rounds and will confidently approach a highly winnable game against the winless Brisbane Lions at the MCG on Saturday.
Coach Damien Hardwick would also be heartened at the continued development of his young side.
What the coach said:
Damien Hardwick (Richmond): "Every club wants to make the eight and we're no different. We have a long way to go [but] we're excited about where we are at.
Dream Team highlight
Richmond: Martin had a whopping 141 points for the Tigers, while three other players topped the 100-point mark - Bachar Houli (114), Nathan Foley (108) and Riewoldt (105).
Next four:
Richmond: Brisbane Lions (MCG), Fremantle (MCG), Western Bulldogs (Etihad Stadium), Essendon (MCG)
Magic moment
Riewoldt's 'speccie' over Scott Thompson late in the second quarter had everyone bar the most one-eye North supporters on their feet. As Thompson waited under a long bomb from Brad Miller, Riewoldt launched himself onto his shoulders and plucked the ball from the sky in one grab. His direct opponent, Nathan Grima, was right on his hammer at the time too. Better yet, Riewoldt went back and converted from 35m out.
X-factor
When the game had to be won, it was the Tigers who found that something special. Riewoldt took the pack marks that needed to be taken, while Trent Cotchin took a left-handed mark from a Chris Newman bomb and played on to kick truly at the start of the last quarter.
But perhaps the most electrifying moment came when Robin Nahas won a fierce contest on the boundary line at the 11-minute mark of the final term, centred a low kick to the goalsquare and Dustin Martin volleyed it through for a goal. Sublime.
North Melbourne 5.1 8.6 12.11 14.19 (103)
Richmond 1.3 6.8 10.10 17.10 (112)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Petrie 6, Swallow 2, Hansen, Cunnington, Adams, Wells, Harvey, Tarrant
Richmond: Riewoldt 5, Martin 4, King 3, Cotchin 2, Edwards, White, Miller,
BEST
North Melbourne: Petrie, Swallow, Harvey, Anthony, Adams, Rawlings
Richmond: Martin, Riewoldt, Houli, Cotchin, Nahas, Deledio
INJURIES
North Melbourne: None
Richmond: Jake Batchelor (foot) replaced in the selected side by Shane Tuck
SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Cruize Garlett replaced by Cameron Richardson in the third quarter
Richmond: Tyrone Vickery replaced by Shane Tuck in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL
Umpires: Ritchie, Stevic, Meredith
Official crowd: 36,461 at Etihad Stadium
