Collingwood had the measure of Richmond in their Thursday night blockbuster at the MCG, winning by 44 points.
In their first match without injured defensive general Alex Rance, the Tigers were eventually brought undone by the clinical Magpies, who kicked five goals to one in the last quarter of the 17.8 (110) to 10.6 (66) win in front of 70,699 spectators.
Jordan De Goey capitalised on the work of Collingwood's superior midfield that monstered Richmond around the ball, kicking a match-high five goals.
The Magpies controlled the ball for the most part, taking a mammoth 174 marks to the Tigers' 78.
Adam Treloar and Dayne Beams led the way with 39 and 36 possessions respectively, with Darcy Moore superb at centre half-back.
Richmond's midfielders simply struggled to get their hands on the ball, with Trent Cotchin (22 touches) and Dustin Martin (18) failing to have their usual influence.
On a brighter note, Tom Lynch continued his encouraging start for the club with another three-goal bag.
The Magpies' one-goal lead at the first break did not really reflect their control of the contest but they reaped the benefits of their aerial mastery with a burst of four unanswered goals in the second quarter.
De Goey was in the thick of the action with a brilliant mark and goal, but the Tigers hit back late with three goals inside the last two minutes of the first half.
Shane Edwards, who was somehow awarded a free kick after Kamdyn McIntosh caught Steele Sidebottom holding the ball, had the Punt Road End fans on their feet when he sliced the margin to six points after the siren.
The Tigers were still in with a shout when Edwards kicked his second early in the final term, but it was one-way traffic from that point.
Richmond departed the match with injury concerns after Jack Riewoldt hurt his wrist in a spectacular marking attempt in the second quarter, Nick Vlastuin also hurt a thumb.
To rub salt in the wounds, Dylan Grimes faces a nervous wait to see how a lunging high elbow on Jamie Elliott is assessed by the match review officer.
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