THEY flickered for about as long as the phone torches that lit up the pre-game tributes of this year's Anzac Day Eve clash, but for Melbourne they're the smalls sparks of brilliance that will maintain hope for a few weeks yet.

In a third quarter dash that just managed to separate Melbourne from a trying Richmond in a 20-point triumph, they were all there; the moments that had eluded Simon Goodwin's side through five weeks of pain to begin the year, but the moments that have slowly looked to be creeping back over the last fortnight.

Having struggled through a first half littered by skill errors, brain fades, ill-discipline and general disappointment – from both sides, it must be said – the Demons eventually clicked into a gear resembling Goodwin teams of years gone by.

Kysaiah Pickett, held to just five touches in the first half, marked on the lead and converted to extend a four-point half-time lead to double digits. Moments later it was Christian Petracca, released by a sharp Max Gawn handball, that snapped truly to extend that margin further.

Bayley Fritsch, returning to the side after being unceremoniously dropped due to a poor start to the season, then demonstrated his class of yesteryear with a snap that eventually broke the spirit of a young Richmond opposition that had done well to hang tough through a gruelling first half.

Within just 10 minutes of what had been a truly awful game of football restarting after the half-time break, the Demons had put a score on the board that was well beyond the Tigers' reach and set the foundations for their 12.11 (83) to 9.9 (63) win.

Gawn had been a rare bright spot in that dour opening to the game and was deservedly rewarded for his efforts. His performance – which included 25 disposals, 34 hitouts, nine marks and six clearances – earned a second consecutive Frank 'Checker' Hughes Medal as the best player in the Anzac Day Eve match.

It might not have been as resounding as last week's victory over Fremantle, the one that appears to have kicked its campaign into life, but for Melbourne it was reaffirming nonetheless. Golf claps, rather than raucous celebration, met the siren at three-quarter time after a six-goal third term that secured victory.

But there was an appreciation for those that had inspired the turnaround after the interval, with Petracca (28 disposals, two goals) and Christian Salem (34 disposals, 13 marks) the main support acts to Gawn's best-on-ground efforts.

Pickett, who might not have been able to sustain last week's heroics, changed the flow of the match after half-time, while Jake Bowey – arguably Melbourne's best player through a disappointing start to the year – retained his form to finish with 32 disposals and nine marks.

For Richmond, it was the type of so-near, yet so-far performance many had come to expect from this season. There were hints of another upset, most notably during a spell on either side of quarter-time where the Tigers kicked three unanswered goals to surprisingly snare the lead and get to within four points at half-time.

But they were outweighed by far more moments of frustration, like three consecutive Tom Lynch shots that sprayed wide of the target. Or a free kick against Maurice Rioli jnr that gifted Harrison Petty a goal from the goal line. A shocking Nick Vlastuin turnover didn't quite end their hopes, but the resulting goal certainly didn't help.

It was those type of lamentable lapses in discipline and execution that continued throughout the second half, as Melbourne soared towards a second straight win – and one that could put its season back on track – while Richmond teetered through an understandably difficult night within a rebuild that's just beginning.

Not even four straight Tiger goals to finish the game, ensuring a deficit that had earlier ballooned to 44 points became more respectable by the finish, could change the mood of Adem Yze's men. By that point the contest was over, the damage done.

Petty takes the Tiger gifts
It was Richmond that found a way to get Harrison Petty into Thursday night's contest, not Melbourne. First, the Demons forward profited from Maurice Rioli jnr's off-ball free kick he gave away for wrestling with Jake Bowey behind play. It took Petty to the goalsquare, where he easily converted. Just moments later, and with the game in the balance heading towards half-time, Petty was the beneficiary of a Nick Vlastuin brain fade. The Tiger defender's kick was so wayward it nearly took Petty by surprise. But he caught the turnover and slotted through again, getting his night underway.

Oliver catches Q3 fire
The questions were being posed about Clayton Oliver at half-time on Thursday night. What was up with Melbourne's star midfield man? He'd had just five disposals, hadn't won a single clearance, and had spent just 69 percent of his time on the ground. Only two players – Maurice Rioli jnr and Tom Fullarton – had managed less until then. Well, Oliver played like a man with a point to prove in the third term. Inspiring the Demons' thrilling six-goal spell, Oliver had 13 disposals and five clearances for the quarter alone to finish with 22 disposals, seven clearances and seven tackles for the match.

Tigers see shades of Gray amid Balta curfew
There couldn't have been many more satisfying ways for Campbell Gray to begin his AFL debut than by plucking a one-handed intercept mark. But, for the 195cm Richmond defender, that was how a first game earned in bizarre circumstances began. Parachuted into the Tigers team due to it being a night game – and thus finishing beyond Noah Balta's 10pm curfew following his sentencing for assault earlier in the week – Gray was the sixth Richmond debutant in seven matches to begin the year. But he handled himself well on the Anzac Day Eve stage, giving another glimpse of Richmond's bright future before being substituted out of the game for Tom Brown just before three-quarter time.

MELBOURNE          3.2     5.4     11.7     12.11 (83)
RICHMOND              2.3     4.6      5.8       9.9 (63)  

GOALS
Melbourne: Petty 2, Petracca 2, Fritsch 2, Chandler 2, Tholstrup, Sparrow, Pickett, Langdon
Richmond: Lynch 3, Taranto 2, Nankervis, Mansell, Lalor, Green

BEST
Melbourne: Gawn, Petracca, Bowey, Salem, Rivers, Langdon, May
Richmond: Taranto, Hopper, Dow, Ross, Short, Nankervis

INJURIES
Melbourne: Nil
Richmond: Nil

SUBSTITUTES
Melbourne: Harry Sharp (replaced Koltyn Tholstrup in the fourth quarter)
Richmond: Tom Brown (replaced Campbell Gray in the third quarter)

Crowd: 71,635 at the MCG