Recently-recruited forward Ollie Griffin led North Melbourne to a 63-point victory over Richmond on Sunday afternoon.

Griffin booted four goals as the Roos cruised to the dominant victory via an 11-goal second half, 18.14 (122) to 8.11 (59).

TIGERS v KANGAROOS Full match coverage and stats

The Kangaroos dominated the possession game, winning the disposal count 422-295 and the marking count 119-56.

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Along with Griffin’s four goals, key forward Matt Whitlock (14 disposals, four contested marks) and small forward Zac Banch (17 disposals, nine marks) both kicked three.

Whitlock kicked the first of the match and his other two in the final term, with all three of his majors came from strong leads. Banch used his speed and crumbing ability to make an impact on the scoreboard.

Returning from concussion, Riley Hardeman (27 disposals, six marks, five intercepts) was stellar in the backline. He used his booming kick to propel the Kangaroos into attack and also made some good defensive efforts.

Josh Goater (24 disposals, nine intercepts, six rebound 50s) was also superb in the backline. His ball usage was elite, going at a disposal efficiency rate of 96 per cent.

Talls Wil Dawson (20 disposals, 13 hitouts, one goal) and Callum Coleman-Jones (18 disposals, 15 hitouts, 5 tackles) split their time between ruck and forward and were both prominent in the extremely muddy conditions.

Midfielders Zac Fisher and Bailey Scott brought their own footy, collecting 35 and 32 disposals respectively. Scott added seven inside 50s and five rebound 50s, while Fisher added this spectacular goal to close out the third term.

In his first VFL match for the year, key defender Griffin Logue (20 disposals, 10 marks, five intercepts) was solid while providing great leadership and experience to help hold the Tigers to 59 points.

Midfielder Darcy Macpherson (23 disposals, eight marks) returned to the team like he never left, and Oliver Lowe (22 disposals, five score involvements) also played well.

What the coach said

VFL coach Adam Marcon on the result: "Really pleased. We were challenged early as Richmond were able to get the ball in their half and lock it in for a fair bit of the first quarter, but our backs were able to hold up well.

"Off the back of that we were able to get the game on our terms from the second quarter onwards, so very proud of the boys and their efforts."

On the muddy conditions: "The game became a lot more contested around the centre bounces due to the mud. Our midfield did a great job of nullifying their mids which was reflected by winning the centre bounce clearances for the day.

"Wil Dawson and Coleman-Jones did really well in the ruck, and the mids followed suit."

On the forward-line tandem: "The forwards operated really strongly, especially with our aerial power.

"Whitlock, Griffin and Tarrant did that really well, then our smalls like Banch, Dovaston, Stevens, George did a great job at ground level, so very happy with our forward connection."

On pushing for finals: "We’ve got next week’s game against Essendon and then a bye, so we’re hoping that this win can be a catalyst to chase consistency in our performance.

"We’ve been in a lot of close games this year, so it was nice to break this one open in the second half. We are moreso hoping to develop our players through this part of the season, and today was a step in the right direction for that."

Next up

North Melbourne will head back home to Arden Street Oval, facing off against Essendon in their Round 14 clash. The game is at 12.05pm AEST on Sunday, June 28.

RICHMOND                   2.5      3.7      5.8       8.11      (59)
NORTH MELBOURNE    2.3      7.8     11.12    18.14    (122)

GOALS
Richmond: Mansell 3, Yassine 2, Burton, Nancarrow, Peucker
North Melbourne: Griffin 4, Whitlock 3, Banch 3, Dovaston 2, George 2, Tarrant, Dawson, Stevens, Fisher

BEST
North Melbourne: Griffin, Goater, Logue, Whitlock, Banch, Scott