AS REALITY checks go, this one was brutal. Geelong showed emerging Richmond just how much more it must improve to challenge the best sides with an emphatic 63-point victory at Telstra Dome last night.

The Tigers have prided themselves on resilience this season, and knew they would need to hang tough to have any hope of toppling the premier. Still, they came into the game on a three-match roll, having shown true grit in each of those victories, and amid whispers that the upset of the season was not beyond the realms of possibility.

To their credit, the Tigers were not blown away as they have been in recent encounters with the Cats, but in the end the serious resistance lasted not much more than a quarter.

An already tall order became overwhelming when classy Nathan Brown succumbed to a virus before the game, Cameron Ling came back from his fractured cheekbone and didn't miss a beat in closing down Nathan Foley at the stoppages and Matthew Richardson was forced to stay close to goal after appearing to badly jar his knee as he slid into a marking attempt early in the second term.

Richmond made a promising start when Mitch Morton capitalised on a rare Darren Milburn turnover and Jack Riewoldt slotted a set shot. The young defence held off the Cats admirably, and it took 21 minutes for the top side to boot its first goal — a James Kelly snap roved from the perfect hit-out.

Already, though, the gap in class and maturity was evident. Richard Tambling took a couple of bounces and ran into a wall of Cats in the middle of the ground, Foley was kept to three touches and the Tigers found themselves two points behind at the first break.

Richmond coach Terry Wallace said before the game he believed his emerging side could match Geelong for contested ball, and he was right. What the Tigers couldn't equal was the Cats' skill, their furious tempo linking up through handball and their enviable variety of scoring options.

Richmond's defence battled hard — Chris Newman won some tough individual contests and contained the mercurial Steve Johnson, whose first and only goal came from a free kick deep in the last quarter, and young defenders Luke McGuane and Kelvin Moore continued to impress.

But when Geelong stepped on the gas early in the second term, it was all the Tigers could manage not to eat the Cats' dust.

The elusive Mathew Stokes attacked the ball and was cleaned up by Foley, and converted the free kick, and a couple of minutes later gobbled up a goal that was a direct result of Will Thursfield booting the ball out on the full, part of a mounting Richmond clanger count.

Unfortunately for the Tigers, Geelong's goal spree coincided with the injury to Richardson. While he came back on the field he couldn't cover his usual ground and had to inspire the Tigers from full-forward, where he took a couple of great grabs — one a crashing mark from the side of the pack — and kicked three second-half goals but had Matthew Scarlett for constant company.

The Geelong engine room continued to function superbly without Gary Ablett, with Joel Selwood playing another blinder with 32 touches, and Jimmy Bartel, who had just as many possessions, showing his finishing ability with a goal roosted from 50 metres out on the run.

The margin was a respectable 26 points at half-time, but from that point on the Cats were in cruise control.

Mark Blake was given an extended run in the ruck, and not only dominated the hit-outs but a couple of times was allowed to lope away with the ball. Milburn, having missed a game with a stomach bug, was his uncompromising self, riding Shane Edwards into the ground and displaying his marking strength at both ends of the ground.

For Richmond, Foley still finished up with plenty of the ball but did not have his usual influence, while his opponent Ling grew stronger as the game went on and underlined his impact by thumping through a left-footed goal in the final term.

As hard as the Richmond defenders battled to keep the high-profile forwards under control, goals came from unexpected places.

Not only did emerging forwards Ryan Gamble and Tom Lonergan chip in for three goals each, but Andrew Mackie snuck forward twice in the third quarter, and had some neat delivery first from Travis Varcoe and then from Scarlett surging creatively out of defence.

The Tigers were not disgraced, and have come a long way this season. Judging by last night's performance, however, they still have a long way to go.

GEELONG 2.6 8.8 15.13 20.14 (134)
RICHMOND 2.2 4.6 6.9 10.11 (71)

GOALS Geelong: Lonergan 3, Gamble 3, Bartel 2, Mackie 2, Mooney 2, Stokes 2, Kelly, Selwood, Johnson, Rooke, Milburn, Ling. Richmond: Richardson 3, Bowden 2, White 2, Riewoldt, Morton, Schulz.

BEST Geelong: Selwood, Ling, Bartel, Milburn, Corey, Scarlett. Richmond: Newman, Deledio, Tuck, McGuane, Tambling.

UMPIRES Stevic, Stewart, Wenn.

CROWD 42,238 at Telstra Dome

THE UPSHOT It's back to the drawing board for the Tigers before they face Adelaide next week, but Geelong will go into its match against Melbourne with a spring in its step. However, the Cats may have to play without full-back Matthew Scarlett who will come under scrutiny for flattening Chris Newman with a shirt-front. The shepherd was in play but the contact appeared to take Newman high and left the Tiger seeing stars.

TALKING POINT Richo's right knee. The big fella landed awkwardly in the second term and drove his knee heavily into the turf. He limped off the ground and headed straight to the changerooms. He returned to the forward line and despite some spectacular overhead marks was clearly proppy and may have damaged his posterior cruciate ligament.

HOT AND COLD As if anyone really needed an example of what separates Geelong from the rest, but Richmond's turnovers were it. The Tigers got their hands on the ball enough but gifted possession to the Cats so often with appalling skill errors people lost count. And as is their want, more often than not the Cats in turn raced the ball flawlessly and effortlessly to goal.