Richmond has earned the title of ladder-leaders and secured their 16th consecutive win at the MCG after defeating Geelong by 18 points in what was a hard-fought, sodden slog.
The Tigers led by just one point at three-quarter time, yet the tackling pressure and explosive run of their seasoned midfield persevered in the 9.11 (65) to 12.11 (83) victory.
Dustin Martin, Shane Edwards and Nick Vlastuin put together sound second halves in the wet to break the game wide open, while Dan Butler, Jason Castagna and Jack Riewoldt all finished with two goals apiece.
Daniel Rioli similarly had a splendid game, with his maiden appearance in 2018 complete with 12 touches, eight tackles and a goal to boot.
For the Cats, Joel Selwood (29 disposals, two goals) put together a superb captain's performance in the conditions he was born to play in, yet it wasn't enough to prevent the Tigers from securing their 16th consecutive victory at the home of football.
With conditions slippery underfoot and the ball waterlogged in the opening minutes, the contest quickly turned into a gruelling territory battle as both teams attempted to string together fluent passages of play.
Despite the uncharacteristic errors and errant shots on goal from the two normally clinical sides, Geelong wrangled the wet ball under their control first and subsequently hit the scoreboard to great effect.
Richmond nevertheless looked dangerous up forward, and led by the returning Rioli (five disposals, three tackles) and Riewoldt, registered the first four behinds of the term to place consistent pressure on the Cats' back six.
But it was Geelong who put through the first all-important major, with Patrick Dangerfield scooping the ball up from a spillage and hitting Rhys Stanley on the chest at the 13-minute mark of the term.
As the midfielders from both sides showed their damaging capabilities up forward, some clever play from Trent Cotchin and Shaun Grigg gave a flying Riewoldt the immediate reply to restore the Tigers' ascendancy.
But Gary Ablett did one better after hitting the scoreboard himself, with his precise kick on the right flank from outside 50 the highlight of the quarter.
The Little Master was all class in the opening term, finishing with three centre clearances, six touches and a goal, while his direct opponent in Martin ended the term with just the two disposals next to his name.
As Tom Hawkins too hit the scoreboard with two goals - the latter of which was kicked in the last 30 seconds thanks to some brilliant run off half-back from Zach Tuohy - the Cats finished the quarter with a 15-point advantage over the reigning premiers.
But in typical Richmond fashion, the Tigers clawed their way back into the contest, booting four goals opposed to Geelong's one in.
After being outworked by his opponent in Stanley in the opening term, Toby Nankervis levelled the playing field between the two, squeezing out a kick from an Ablett tackle which floated through the goals.
Josh Caddy soon found himself on the scoreboard off the back of a 50m penalty, and as the Tigers pressed forward and gained more and more ground, repeat entries inside their forward 50 continued to test the Geelong defence.
Jason Castagna eventually scored as a result of the gradual buildup of pressure, gaining back the lead in the process, albeit by a mere three points.
Although a dubious free kick and 50m penalty against Alex Rance gave Brandan Parfitt an easy goal, one last blistering play from Martin in the midfield enabled Lambert to put through Richmond's fourth for the term.
With just two points separating the premiership heavyweights at half-time, it was anyone's game heading into the season-defining second half.
The tight arm wrestle carried on into the third term, with both sides scoring three goals apiece in what was an explosive and enthralling period of footy.
Richmond secured the first two goals of the quarter - both in near identical fashion - through Dan Butler and Grigg, showing their ability to effectively crumb and convert in the wet.
The midfield guns of the Tigers and Cats stood up in the premiership quarter, with club heroes Selwood and Martin both damaging in their own right.
Finishing with 22 disposals in the third term, the skipper not only kickstarted the Cats' comeback with his 150th career goal off the back of a 50m penalty, but served as the cornerstone of the Geelong midfield through his hardness at the contest.
Although an imposing presence in the midfield, it was Martin who ruled the centre, ending the term with 18 disposals and breaking straight through Geelong with his explosive run through the middle.
The Brownlow medallist's run, coupled with a creative knock-on from Caddy, directly resulted in Butler's second goal for the quarter to further Richmond's lead.
Despite getting beaten around the clearances, the Tigers' breakneck speed and surgical precision of their forward handballs nearly blew the game wide open, yet two fortunate goals to James Parsons and Hawkins brought the margin back to a solitary point with one quarter left to play.
With the Cats losing Lincoln McCarthy to a hamstring injury in the dying stages of the third term, it was going to be a tough ask to emerge victorious, and was made even harder after Riewoldt jagged through the opening goal.
It would be the first of four final quarter goals for the Tigers, who limited the Cats to just the one major in the manic end to the match.
As Martin this time showed his game-breaking skills up forward with a clever snap around the body, the Tigers' frenetic energy looked just about ready to break the Cats apart.
But a skilful captain's goal from Selwood from outside 50 kept the door ajar for Geelong - the margin sitting at just nine points with 10 minutes left to play.
Yet the Tigers showed why they are the reigning premiers, with two phenomenal goals effectively closing out the game and bringing an end to what was a tightly contested slog in the wet.
Castagna secured his second after just outrunning Zach Tuohy in Richmond's vacant forward 50, before a spectacular team passage of play involving Shane Edwards, Riewoldt and Rioli gave the latter one final goal, capping off his emphatic return.
With the final margin resting at 18 points, the Tigers secured with 16th straight win at the MCG, all the while jumping into top spot on the ladder.
Both teams will take full advantage of their allocated bye before their pivotal clashes in two week's time, with Richmond taking on the red-hot Sydney at Etihad Stadium on Thursday night, before Geelong face off against the undermanned Western Bulldogs at the same venue the following night.
GEELONG 4.2 5.5 8.7 9.11 (65)
RICHMOND 1.5 5.7 8.8 12.11 (83)
GOALS
Geelong: Hawkins 3, Selwood 2, Ablett, Stanley, Parfitt, Parsons
Richmond: Castagna 2, Riewoldt 2, Butler 2, Caddy, Rioli, Martin, Lambert, Nankervis
BEST
Geelong: Selwood, Stewart, Ablett, Dangerfield, Stanley, Menegola
Richmond: Edwards, Martin, Vlastuin, Graham, Rioli, Lambert, Riewoldt
INJURIES
Geelong: McCarthy (hamstring)
Richmond: Nil
TALKING POINTS
1. TOP-OF-THE-TABLE TIGERS
This time last year, the Tigers were sitting in sixth position on the ladder with figures of 7-5 before going on to win the premiership.
Now in season 2018, the reigning premiers own first place on the ladder with a percentage of 135 and 10 wins from 13 matches.
Now on par with West Coast in terms of points, the Tigers' trek to a back-to-back premiership looks like becoming a stark reality with each passing round.
With barely any injury concerns following Daniel Rioli's sound return, the upcoming month has to potential to solidify Richmond's claims as the best team in the competition, with Sydney, Adelaide and Greater Western Sydney to come after their bye.
But with two of the three aforementioned games away from the MCG - which they have now won 16 games at - no game can be deemed a certainty yet.
Should they win all three however, watch out.
2. GEELONG ALL THE MAKINGS OF A TOP-FOUR TEAM
Despite not quite getting the four points, Geelong's efforts no doubt showed the footy world their position in the top-four is absolutely deserving.
Keeping pace with the Tigers for most of the game before going down by a final three goals, the Cats' ability to put up such an enthralling contest in less than ideal conditions was absolutely commendable.
With their stars each putting together consistent games and their youngsters chipping in, Geelong should remain in the top-four unless a team such as Collingwood continue their red-hot form and snatch that final spot.
Although Lincoln McCarthy's terrible run with injury may see the youngster sidelined for another few weeks, the host of stars set to return to Geelong should tie them over, with Cameron Guthrie, Harry Taylor, Scott Selwood and Daniel Menzel all expected to be return after the bye.
Now that's a scary proposition.
3. RIOLI'S RETURN REMARKABLE
While one Rioli may be out of the game indefinitely, fans of football were relieved to see another Rioli return to the field today.
In his first game for the season, Daniel Rioli was nothing short of exceptional, finishing with 12 touches, eight tackles and a goal to announce to the AFL world he was back.
Fitting seamlessly pack into the Richmond line-up, the magical small forward was a constant threat to the Cats through his run and immense pressure exerted on the Geelong defenders.
Coupled with Dan Butler and Jason Castagna, the 21-year-old will no doubt bring another element of danger to the Tigers' generally undersized forward attack.
Small in stature, massive in impact.
4. AN UNCONVENTIONAL PASS GETS THE RESULTS
In wet weather footy, it doesn't matter how you get the ball forward, just as long as the ball actually gets forward.
Yet Dan Butler's pass forward in the third term certainly raised a few eyebrows, with the unconventional kick to Jack Riewoldt nonetheless yielding a solid result.
On the run in the pocket, Butler had several Geelong defenders closing in on him so decided to whip out a checkside banana to avoid being tackled.
But his banana was a short and dinky chip to the side, which went no more than three metres to the side before Riewoldt quickly gobbled it up and executed a snap of his own - this time with quite a bit more penetration and distance.
Handball probably would have done the job, but six points is six points.
5. SELWOOD STARS AS DUSTY DELIGHTS
The big guns certainly came out to play at the MCG, with Geelong superstar, Joel Selwood, and Brownlow medallist, Dustin Martin, putting together solid performances.
In trademark fashion, the Geelong skipper was tough around the contests and thrived off the contested style of play, ending his day with 29 touches and two goals.
Martin meanwhile was explosive in the third term in particular, often being the catalyst for Richmond's dynamic run forward and directly feeding the ball to their awaiting forwards.
Capping off his day with a goal, the Tiger was integral to Richmond's 10th win of the season.
No matter the conditions, there's no doubt these two players deliver week in week out, and will both be remembered as absolute heroes for their respective clubs when their careers eventually come to a close.
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