Fremantle Dockers too slick for Richmond at MCG with 54-point win

Fremantle have shaken off a decimated Richmond to cruise to a 54-point victory at the MCG and remain firmly in the thick of the jostling AFL finals pack.

Richmond’s Mykelti Lefau kicked the first goal of Sunday’s game but the Dockers snared the next seven to set up the 15.13 (103) to 6.13 (49) win, their second on the bounce.

Fremantle sit sixth after eight rounds, ahead of hosting ladder-leaders Sydney on Friday, while Richmond are 16th before facing the Western Bulldogs on Saturday.

But there will be some concerns over ruckman Sean Darcy, who was substituted out in the third term, for surprise substitute Nat Fyfe, with a tight calf.

At half-time, it was shaping as a particularly dire day for the injury-hit Tigers, who snagged just one major across the first two quarters and were their own worst enemy through poor turnovers and awful goal kicking.

Fremantle also battered the Tigers around the ball, especially early, and while Richmond recovered, the poor first half proved too much to overcome.

Dockers forward Josh Treacy kicked a career-high four goals and took a wonderful hanger.

Caleb Serong (38 disposals) and Hayden Young (30 touches and two goals) were typically prolific, while Luke Ryan (39 disposals, 15 marks) was busy off half-back.

Gun defender Nick Vlastuin (22 disposals, eight marks) tried hard all day for the Tigers and Jayden Short (28 disposals) was busy on return from a calf injury while Dustin Martin had a red-hot start but faded.

Both teams offered little by foot in a scrappy, ugly first quarter, before the Dockers got rolling.

Richmond were left to rue a wasteful first quarter in front of goal and trailed by 13 points at the first change.

Fremantle got some breathing room midway through the second term when Treacy took a strong contested mark and kicked truly.

Richmond copped a hammer blow on the siren when Sean Darcy received a soft free kick in the ruck.

Thomson Dow put the ball on the ground and conceded a 50-metre penalty, bringing Darcy to the goal square to put the Dockers ahead by 31 points at half-time.

Hugo Ralphsmith gave the Tigers fans a rare moment of joy when he took a strong contested mark and kicked their second goal early in the third term.

It proved the first of three goals on the bounce.

But Fremantle steadied to hold a four-goal lead at the final change.

With the sting out of the game, Fremantle added some handy percentage with seven final-quarter goals.