RICHMOND has ended 2011 with a 13-point loss to North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

The 15.14 (104) to 13.13 (91) victory saw the Kangaroos finish in ninth place on the ladder for the second straight year (eighth-placed Essendon was six points clear of them).

The Tigers ended their season, which yielded eight wins and a draw, in 12th place.

Brad Scott's men set up their 10th win of the year by kicking five goals to one in the third quarter.

Richmond fought back early in the last term, and even hit the front when Dustin Martin took a brilliant diving mark and kicked truly.

But Drew Petrie sealed the triumph for North Melbourne by soaring over Shane Edwards and hauling in a great grab close to goal with only three minutes left.

Petrie finished with four goals, while Lindsay Thomas, Aaron Edwards and Brent Harvey all kicked two.

There were scenes of great sportsmanship after the match when Richmond formed a guard of honour for retiring Kangaroo Brady Rawlings.

Rawlings picked up 24 possessions in his last game, although his opponent Robin Nahas booted five goals to be among the Tigers' best players.

Martin, Brett Deledio (in his 150th game) and Trent Cotchin were the other star performers for Richmond.

Interestingly, the Tigers dominated the inside-50 count, with the statistic finishing 61-43 in their favour.

But they were often wasteful in attack, and continually gave up easy goals by pushing too far up the ground and allowing North Melbourne to score on the break.

Influential players
Richmond's Dustin Martin (23 touches, two goals) wreaked havoc in the midfield and up forward. The prodigiously talented 20-year-old ran himself ragged during the first three quarters, but he ran out of puff after giving the Tigers the lead in the last term.

Dream Team highlight
Richmond: Unfortunately in the final game of the home and away season, no Richmond player cracked the ton. Midfielder Dustin Martin was the best performer with a solid 91 points, while Trent Cotchin (88) and defender Brett Deledio (77) were down on their usual output and would have disappointed many Grand Final coaches.

QUARTER BY QUARTER
FIRST QUARTER
In the battle for ninth spot it was North Melbourne who drew first blood, with a brilliant chain of handpasses from half-back setting up Drew Petrie. It wasn't long before the Tigers replied through forward Tyrone Vickery who took a strong contested mark. But it was the Kangaroos who dominated the quarter kicking five goals to three - their superior ball movement the difference. In his first game for the year after an Achilles injury, North Melbourne ruckman Hamish McIntosh paired up with Todd Goldstein and took control of the hit-outs 16 to three. Young forward Aaron Black looked at home on debut with six touches and two marks in the opening term and his effort was rewarded with a goal late in the term.
North Melbourne by 13 points

SECOND QUARTER
The Tigers lifted their intensity in the second term, and a more physical attack on the ball was evident early. They dominated the stoppages winning the clearances 12 to three with the likes of Trent Cotchin, Nathan Foley and Dustin Martin lifting their work-rate. Richmond jumped out of the blocks with three unanswered goals through Robin Nahas and two to Jack Riewoldt. But the Kangaroos weren't without opportunity. Missed shots on goal from Petrie, Harvey and Cunnington were costly for North Melbourne and it wasn't until the 18-minute mark that skipper Harvey finally kicked a goal. The Roos only managed one more goal for the term again through the captain, while at the other end it was the Nahas show, as the small forward's pace caused havoc for North Melbourne defenders Scott McMahon and Daniel Pratt. He finished the half with eight disposals and three goals.
Richmond by 12 points

THIRD QUARTER
After a lacklustre second quarter, the Roos appeared fired up after the main break. Two quick goals in as many minutes through Lindsay Thomas and Aaron Edwards levelled scores. Youngsters Ben Cunnington and Ryan Bastinac lifted their work-rate in the midfield and finished the term with 16 disposals between them. It took the Tigers 18 minutes to score their first and only goal of the quarter through Martin. North Melbourne scored three of their five goals in the quarter from a long kick out of the backline which caught out the Richmond defence, allowing the Kangaroo forwards to run into an open forward line. 
North Melbourne by 13 points

FOURTH QUARTER
As was the trend all day, the Coventry end was the scoring end. On top in the clearances all match, the Tigers won the first three centre clearances of the final term, and was well rewarded with two goals to Nahas, who was too quick for retiring Kangaroo Brady Rawlings who was moved on to the small Tiger in the second half. With scores level, North Melbourne had chances to regain the lead but was wasteful in front of goal with Kieran Harper and Leigh Adams missing shots in the first 10 minutes. A goal to Tiger Martin at the 14-minute mark put his side back in front by four points but it wasn't long before the lead changed once again. Edwards then kicked truly to regain the lead for the blue and white. A brain fade from Tiger Daniel Jackson gave David Swallow a shot on goal directly in front and put the Roos in front by nine points. Two missed shots on goal from Richmond's Brett Deledio and Jackson proved costly, as Drew Petrie took a screamer on the goal line and kicked truly to seal the game and ninth spot for North Melbourne.
North Melbourne win by 13 points

MATCH DETAILS
Richmond                3.2   9.7  10.10  13.13   (91)
North Melbourne    5.3   7.7  12.11  15.14  (104)

GOALS
Richmond:  Nahas 5, Riewoldt 3, Martin 2, Vickery, White, Miller
North Melbourne: Petrie 4, Thomas 2, Harvey 2, Edwards 2, Macmillan, Black, McIntosh, Harper, Swallow

BEST
Richmond: Nahas, Martin, Cotchin, Deledio, Foley, Houli
North Melbourne: Harvey, Cunnington, Bastinac, Petrie, Adams

INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
North Melbourne: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Richmond: Mitch Morton replaced by Jeromey Webberley in the third quarter
North Melbourne: Aaron Black replaced by Aaron Mullett in the third quarter

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Vozzo, Findlay, Jeffery

Official crowd: 32, 890 at Etihad Stadium

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