RICHMOND has fallen to a committed Hawthorn outfit by 41 points in a spirited NAB Challenge clash in Shepparton on Friday night.

A crowd of 6,000 packed into Deakin Reserve as a brave performance from Tigers midfielder Trent Cotchin wasn't enough to see his side home in the 12.17 (89) to 7.6 (48) defeat.

Cotchin was clearly Richmond's best while the club's first pick in last year's NAB AFL Draft, Reece Conca, found plenty of the ball during stints in the middle of the ground.

The Hawks dominated the opening stages of the match as the blustery conditions proved too much for Richmond to overcome.

It took the Tigers 12 minutes to record their first inside-50, and if not for Cotchin they would have trailed by far more than 10 points at the opening change.

Hardwick's team, which was missing reigning Coleman Medalist Jack Riewoldt and skipper Chris Newman, narrowed the margin to under a goal when Vickery started the second quarter with a strong mark and a straight kick.

However, Hawthorn pulled away thanks to the creative play of Michael Osborne and Cyril Rioli and by half-time the difference had blown out to 31 points.

The intensity dropped off in the second half, with Hawthorn looking in far superior shape than the Tigers as round one looms.

"We were really, really poor in the first half," Hardwick admitted. "I thought we were really, really flat.

"We gave them a slight bake at half-time and I think they came out and showed a little bit.

"We've got a bit of work to do. We gave the ball back far too easily at times."

HAWTHORN               3.5       8.10    10.13  12.17 (89)
RICHMOND                2.1       4.3       6.5       7.6 (48)

GOALS
Hawthorn: Osborne 3, Franklin 2, Roughead 2, Hale, Savage, Shiels, Young, Mitchell
Richmond: Vickery 2, Cotchin, Morton, Graham, Nahas, Miller

BEST
Hawthorn: Rioli, Osborne, Roughead, Hale, Mitchell, Cheney, Shiels
Richmond: Cotchin, Martin, Vickery, Conca, Graham, Foley

INJURIES
Hawthorn: Nil
Richmond: Farmer (ankle), McGuane (concussion)

Reports: Nil

Official crowd: 6,108 approx. at Deakin Reserve, Shepparton

The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.