The fading soccer markings running down the middle of the MCG were seemingly a reminder of what Richmond could ill afford. If this was an arm wrestle in which goals were prized as in the round ball game, surely Fremantle would prevail.

All game it seemed the Tigers would need to break it open if they were to repeat their round-10 heroics, or the Dockers would arm wrestle their way to victory. All game they landed the first blow, kicking the first goal of each quarter, and all game the visitors came back at them like a boxer with an anvil for a jaw.

All over the ground there were compelling contests within the contest – Trent Cotchin and Nat Fyfe, whose huge year could finally be taking a toll yet who was seemingly everywhere when it mattered; Jack Riewoldt and Luke McPharlin, Alex Rance and Matthew Pavlich.

Luck came and went for both sides. There were iffy and off-the-ball free kicks, posters – five of them by the Tigers, three to Dustin Martin alone – twists and turns. But the last and most decisive fell the Dockers way. Trailing by three points just over a minute from the end, Tommy Sheridan marked from Pavlich but missed. Bachar Houli inexplicably took a  route one way out of defence but Garrick Ibbotson intercepted and chipped to David Mundy 40 metres out.

The Dockers' tremendous midfielder had been here before, missing after the siren from long range at Geelong last year. Now, with little more than 30 seconds on the clock, his drop punt sailed through.

When they needed them most, Freo had found the goals – four in the last quarter for a dozen for the game. Not enough to quell suspicion that they will need to kick more  in September, but enough to break Tiger hearts.

Richmond needed to bring pressure cooker intensity and drew first blood through the 50th goal of Chris Newman's long and admirable career. Even when the Dockers got through they showed no signs of suddenly shooting the lights out; Danyle Pearce had four shots at goal in the first 15 minutes for two behinds, Chris Mayne missed twice, but of greater concern was how seemingly defence-busting surges foundered beyond half-forward.

On the upside they were attacking, and reward duly came through the most familiar source as Pavlich swooped at a boundary throw-in and screwed home goal No.657.

A goal apiece for level pegging at quarter-time represented a win for the Dockers, but the game wasn't being played on their terms. For all of Michael Barlow and Mundy's toil, the Richmond on-ballers had the upper hand.

Fyfe, his thigh bandaged, showed uncommon signs of human frailty, dropping a mark but spared as Cotchin dived into his back, and shrugging his man only to be mown down by Ivan Maric to the delight of the faithful.

Maric goaled to give the Tigers a 13-point break early in the second after a Kamdyn McIntosh dribble and conversion that wouldn't have been out of place 24 hours earlier, then Pavlich got into the round-ball spirit after pushing up the ground, retreating at pace and being fed to perfection by Michael Walters, whose scoring threat throughout was doused by Taylor Hunt's attention. Yet here was Australian football as soccer, only without the goalkeeper to beat.

Richmond endured a frustrating stretch in which Mayne and Hayden Crozier goaled from free kicks, the former aided by a 50-metre penalty off the ball against Dustin Martin. Suddenly Freo had kicked three in five minutes. Dizzying stuff indeed.

But Richmond continued to find a way through, and took great heart not just from the two goals that reclaimed a seven-point lead but their manner. First McIntosh patiently waited until the human wall that is Aaron Sandilands committed to filling one side of a packed defensive 50 and kicked to Maric's advantage in the other. Riewoldt then highlighted that the Dockers, like all teams, are vulnerable to the fast break.

Ben Griffiths' strong mark just over a minute from half-time presented an opportunity for deserved breathing space. He hit the post, Freo surged, and Matt Taberner converted on the siren.

A goal-for-goal third quarter reflected a swings and roundabouts affair. Clancee Pearce trailed Newman in a marking contest, stood clutching his wrenched shoulder, and was penalised 50 metres for loitering in agony over the mark. Newman hit the post, but the Dockers had subbed out Taberner a minute earlier so Pearce had to be patched up and sent back into the fray.

Martin hit the post, Sam Lloyd couldn't finish as a goalsneak sub must, but Newman struck again after Stephen Hill franked Fyfe's clinical finish to set up an edge-of-the-seat end to another cracking contest.

VOTES:

8 - D.Mundy (Frem)
8 - T.Chaplin (Rich)
8 - M.Barlow (Frem)
7 - B.Ellis (Rich)
7 - T.Cotchin (Rich)