All the news, highlights and reaction from Richmond’s clash with Sydney at the MCG

Richmond coach Adem Yze has savaged his side’s woeful loss to Sydney in which the Tigers went almost two hours without kicking a goal. See full reaction here.

Richmond coach Adem Yze conceded his team’s performance ‘was not up to AFL standard’ on a horror day at the MCG for the Tigers against Sydney.

After a positive start, kicking three of the first four goals, Richmond were totally outclassed in the final three quarters as Sydney won by 44 points.

Richmond would only kick one goal after quarter time in a display which disappointed Yze.

“It wasn’t something I sensed before the game because we started the game really well,” he said.

“(It was a) really disappointing middle part of the game, it wasn’t up to AFL standard.

“(We were) totally outplayed, they dominated clearance, dominated time in half, dominated inside 50s.

“The things we tried didn’t work.”

Yze said the result was a ‘bitter pill’ to swallow after a strong month for the side with one win and narrow losses to North Melbourne, Essendon and GWS.

Richmond now has two weeks to look into the loss with the bye next week before taking on the Western Bulldogs in round 15.

“It’s really disappointing to go into the bye on that note,” he said.

“Our last month has been competitive and we’ve played the right way.

“I know our supporters would have been proud of that but today we let them down.

“The two middle quarters were not up to standard and it’s something we’ve got to address and we will.”

Yze paid credit to the Swans who were ruthless and according to him back to their best.

“They got back to where they were last year,” he said.

“They looked really strong around the contest.

“Their ball movement tested our defence.

“We defended 120 uncontested marks, which we haven’t had to do this year.

“We spent a lot of energy on defence and the boys got tired in the end.”

Rhyan Mansell was subbed off in the third quarter for the Tigers with a corky but is expected to be available with an extra week of recovery.

Richmond enter the bye with three wins but could move back into the bottom-two if North Melbourne wins against West Coast on Sunday.

MATCH REPORT: SWANS KEEP TIGERS GOALLESS FOR ALMOST TWO HOURS

Sydney has kept its slim chances of finals alive with a convincing 44-point win over Richmond at the MCG on Saturday.

After a slow start, with Richmond kicking three of the first four goals, the Swans responded with the form which had them as the benchmark team last year on their way to the grand final.

Sydney kicked 10 goals in a row and kept the Tigers to one goal in the final three quarters to send a message to the rest of the competition the team is not finished yet in 2025.

Early on there was a sense of deja vu with the Swans kicking the first goal of the game before the Tigers responded with three straight goals to take an early lead as Richmond controlled the contest in its forward half.

It looked ominous, just like last week, when the Swans kicked the first goal against Adelaide before conceding 12 goals in a row in the first half on their way to a 90-point loss.

This time the Swans responded, in impressive fashion, turning the contest on its head.

Dion Prestia slots a goal

Led by Nick Blakey in defence, who was the best player on the ground, and their leaders Isaac Heeney, Chad Warner and Callum Mills, the Swans got control of the contest in the middle to stun the Tigers.

Sydney then did well to shut down any Richmond attack, able to intercept play and slingshot into attack.

After a positive start to the day it turned into a nightmare for the Tigers, kicking just one goal and eight behinds for the last three quarters.

It has left the Tigers with plenty to think about ahead of the bye.

The result moves Sydney to 5-8, and still in the hunt for finals in the second half of the year.

Heeney makes the most of a Tigers clanger, and the Swans hit the front! 🦢

📺 Watch #AFLTigersSwans LIVE on ch. 504 or stream on Kayo: https://t.co/dxBIxJKZo7
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🔢 MATCH CENTRE https://t.co/ovvcZJ8ve1pic.twitter.com/fUCCw7JQlv

— Fox Footy (@FOXFOOTY) June 7, 2025

HISTORY FOR BLAKEY FAMILY

Saturday was a special day for Nick Blakey and his father John, the two-time North Melbourne premiership player. Combined, the father-son duo played their 500th game in the AFL. Nick played his 141st game to join his father John who played 359 for Fitzroy and the Kangaroos from 1985 to 2002. They are the 11th father-son combination to achieve the milestone. Now, the duo will have their sights set at the top, and becoming the most capped. The leaders are Bombers father-son Dustin and Ken Fletcher with 664 but with Nick contracted until 2031 and just 25 he could play enough games to challenge the top. Nick celebrated the milestone in style, being Sydney’s best in the win. He had 34 disposals, the most metres gained on the field with 886 and provided two scoring assists.

Corey Warner is pumped after an early goal.

Nick Blakey had a big impact on a historic day for his family.

SWANS DEFENCE STANDS TALL

75 points should be the number put on the whiteboard for the rest of the season for Sydney. When the Swans concede that number of points, or less, to the opposition chances are Sydney goes on to win. Sydney is 5-1 when it happens. The Swans have some winnable games in the next few weeks to build momentum towards a late charge towards finals. Getting its defence sorted and maximising its chances in attack will be vital to giving the grand finalists a chance of making it.

LOSS CAN’T STOP TIGER PROGRESS

Despite the loss on Saturday the Tigers enter the bye with their heads held high. Not many expected the Tigers to win three games to this point of the season and the reality is it could have been more. There’s plenty of upside in the young guns at the club with the experienced players also having significant impacts. Tim Taranto and Dion Prestia, with 26 and 21 disposals respectively, were two of the best for the Tigers in the loss. With some winnable games towards the end of the season there could be more chances for the Tigers to shine as it continues the rebuild.

Originally published as All the news, highlights and reaction from Richmond’s clash with Sydney at the MCG