FOR Richard Nixon, there was the notorious 18½-minute gap on the Watergate tapes. For Ray Milland, in the movie of an alcoholic's drinking binge, it was The Lost Weekend.

To those infamous real and fictional periods during which we don't know what really happened, we can now add the 16 minutes of the second quarter yesterday when Melbourne went missing and lost a game of football to Richmond.

Just on six minutes into the second quarter, Cameron Bruce had a shot to put Melbourne 21 points up. At the 22-minute mark, Nathan Brown kicked a goal to put the Tigers 26 points ahead; 10 minutes later, had Jay Schulz kicked accurately after the siren, Richmond would have been seven goals up.

The observable facts were these: Bruce missed his set shot from 30 metres on an insignificant angle. Brown swooped on the ball in the half-forward line, wheeled across the 50-metre arc into space and snapped accurately around the body, his kick shepherded through by Matthew Richardson.

In between, a fleet-footed pack of Tigers, led by Brett Deledio, Nathan Foley and Shane Tuck, marauded freely through the middle of Telstra Dome, untroubled by their nominal opponents, as Richmond added 7.1 to a solitary point.

That point, a desperate snap by Adem Yze, was at least evidence that Melbourne was still playing. As to precisely what happened in the intervening 16 minutes, however, we await the efforts of the archivists, the historians or even the archaeologists. It was beyond mere spectators to figure it out.

That should have been that. But there were more twists in the tale of an unlikely game. Deep in the third quarter, it took a "Richo" angled sprint from the wing to inside 50, a mark taken diving full-stretch from a superb kick across the centre square by Jordan McMahon, and the Tiger star's fifth goal to push the lead back out to 19 points. In the final term, Melbourne came even closer as it pressed for its second win of the seasons, a goal by Austin Wonaeamirri bringing the deficit back to only eight points.

But it was not to be for the Demons. Brown's third goal, a cool conversion from a tight angle by Mitch Morton and a conversion straight out of the centre by Tuck got Richmond home by 21. The maths was damning for the Demons: 16 minutes gone missing, 22 points short on the scoreboard.

Richardson took two marks in the defensive goal square in the closing minutes, pushing his tally to an amazing 18 for the game. He kicked five goals at one end, but he took marks all over the place as he continued the free-ranging role that has revitalised him from a seemingly almost-spent force to a match winner. He even got into the charitable atmosphere, his contribution being to provide the unwilling platform for Aaron Davey to launch himself skywards for the mark of the day and a goal that brought Melbourne to within 19 points during the third term.

The last quarter started with the game very much a contest. Richmond fans roared when Brown snapped a goal to start the final term, then howled their disapproval when the umpire ruled the ball had been thrown to him. A free to Jeff White when Adam Pattison cannoned into him at a forward-line ruck contest a minute or two later brought Melbourne within 13 points.

Wonaeamirri, perhaps thinking that Davey took "speccies" all the time, gave his teammate a difficult mark to take at centre half-forward. As if to show him how it should be done, Davey then speared a low pass back to Wonaeamirri and the margin was back to eight points.

Trent Cotchin, with a set shot from 40 metres on a tight angle, and Joel Bowden, with a pressured snap, now missed for Richmond. But Brown's goal pushed the lead out to 15 points.

There were no more surprises and Richmond won with a degree of comfort.

The Tigers' fourth win of the season (along with a draw), their first since round nine against Essendon, and their first at Docklands since round 20, 2006, has left them if not exactly poised outside the top eight, at least within sight of it.

RICHMOND 3.6 11.13 13.15 16.20 (116)
MELBOURNE 5.3 6.5 11.8 14.10 (94)

GOALS Richmond: Richardson 5, Brown 3, Morton 2, Simmonds, Polak, Cotchin, Tuck, Hyde, White. Melbourne: Miller 3, Bartram 2, Bruce 2, Davey 2, Green, Garland, White, Wonaeamirri, Bate.

BEST Richmond: Richardson, Deledio, Brown, Tuck, Tambling, Cotchin. Melbourne: Wheatley, Bruce, Jones, McLean, Garland, Green.

UMPIRES Sully, M Nicholls, Ryan.

CROWD 27,348 at Telstra Dome.

THE UPSHOT When Richmond defeated Essendon in round nine, Terry Wallace said the Tigers had to beat teams they were expected to. They did it again yesterday, but only just. Had they faltered, you could have bet your bottom dollar the manure trucks would have been on their way again to Punt Road Oval this morning.

TALKING POINT Umpire Mathew Nicholls was pole-axed by Richmond's Shane Tuck in the third term as he reversed out of a centre bounce. He hit the deck winded and badly shaken. However, replays show Melbourne's Brock McLean will probably be in strife with the judiciary for deliberately pushing Tuck into Nicholls' path.

HOT AND COLD Former No. 1 draft pick Brett Deledio has clearly taken a step up this season and was one of the best afield last night. However, Joel Bowden may well be wondering whether the sound he's hearing is the selectors' axe being sharpened.