Robertson Oval proved to be a happy hunting ground for Richmond stars Dustin Martin and Tom Lynch.
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Lynch booted four second half goals in the 17.7 (109) to 14.11 (95) loss to Greater Western Sydney on Sunday while Martin kicked two and led his side's disposal count with 24.
All their stars were on show but Richmond coach Damien Hardwick was measured in his post-game analysis as they head into their title defence with two pre-season losses.
"This time of year we are probably excited for round one to come but we are playing some reasonably solid footy without being at our very best," Hardwick said.
"We know the hard work is in front of us and still to come."
In a high-scoring contest, with eight goals kicked in a frenetic first quarter considering the context of the clash and 10 in the second, defence wasn't a real highlight.
However Hardwick took plenty of positives from the display after of the AFL season opener against Carlton on March 19.
"There was two pretty good sides and it was pretty low stoppage, low free kicks, I think there was only six free kicks in the first half, and it was up and back," he said.
"Both sides were transitioning really well and weren't defending very well.
"We spoke about that and have some work to do in that area in regard to our review this week but is sort of exciting for us as we know we are not playing our best footy but we kicked a good score today.
"We just have to keep the opposition down to a better score."
After making a dream debut in the grand final, Marlion Pickett had plenty of influence early as the Tigers swiftly turned a 13-point deficit into nine-point lead heading into quarter-time.
Hardwick believes he will be a "valueable role player" for the side.
"As we've seen in the one game of AFL he has played at level he is a capable AFL player and we are excited for what he is going to bring," Hardwick said. "He is a lot fitter, is a lot leaner than this time last year so we expect he will be significantly better for the preparation and he has a better understanding of how we play."
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