THE Sydney Swans have squandered a healthy lead to end up losing to Richmond at the MCG.

The Swans led by 33 points midway through the third, but the Tigers kicked eight of the last 10 goals.

The first 10 goals were scored turnabout, with 10 lead changes, but then the Swans kicked four in a row, and got a handy buffer over the Tigers in the third term.

Both sides put huge pressure on early, but it looked as though the more mature Swans' bodies were the ones who were able to keep working harder for longer.

But the Tigers kicked back into gear, and rolled inexorably towards the finish, with Newman and Collins kicking a couple each in the last.

A downside for the Tigers was that they coughed the ball up far too often, and the Swans made them pay - halfway through the third, the Swans led 15-3 in scores off turnovers.

Jude Bolton led the Swans with 32 touches, including his usual share of contested posessions, while youngster Daniel Hannebery continued his stellar debut season. The ever-reliable Ryan O'Keefe and Kieren Jack worked hard through the middle, while Rhyce Shaw gave his usual run out of the backline.

Richmond           3.0   5.0   9.3      14.5  (89)
Sydney Swans   3.3   6.6   10.11   12.13  (85)

GOALS
Richmond: Riewoldt 5, Collins 3, Newman 2, Farmer, Nason, Griffiths, Martin.
Sydney Swans: McVeigh 3, Moore 2, Goodes 2, Dennis-Lane, Jack, Pyke, McGlynn, Mumford.

BEST
Richmond: Deledio, Moore, Riewoldt, Collins, Newman, Astbury, Connors, Jackson.
Sydney Swans: Bolton, McVeigh, Hannebery, O'Keefe, Jack, Bird, Malceski

INJURIES
Richmond: Deledio (elbow)
Sydney Swans: Playfair (back)

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Rosebury, Stewart, Grun

Official crowd: 39,386 at MCG