It sure was ugly but Richmond’s AFL win over Sydney was a sign that things are becoming a bit more ‘Richmondy’ for the reigning premiers.

Tigers coach Damien Hardwick put the blame for the ‘horrendous game of football”, won by his side by eight points, squarely on John Longmire’s shoulders.

The Swans coach accused of employing ultra-defensive tactics.

Putting the aesthetics of the contest to one side, it was Richmond’s second win in as many weeks – after two disappointing losses in which Hardwick felt they had strayed a long way from their vaunted on-field brand.

“I feel like we’re building and there’s still plenty of growth (in us),” two-time premiership player Kane Lambert told reporters on Tuesday.

“It was about coming back to the basics and what makes us a great footy team – our connection – and building on that.

“We did feel like we weren’t Richmond-like but that is starting to come back.

“It was obviously a bit of a frustrating game but credit to Sydney they made it really difficult for us.”

Lambert has been a key part of the Tigers’ return to winning ways with another impressive display against the Swans to follow on from his 27-possession, three-goal performance in his 100th AFL match, a win against Melbourne, the previous week.

“Individually I was probably struggling a little bit, much like the team,” he said.

“But I just simplified it a bit a came back to what makes me a good player.”

Richmond have the opportunity to improve on their record of three wins, two losses and a draw when they face North Melbourne at Metricon Stadium on Saturday night.

It will be the Tigers’ third match while inside the Queensland hub where Lambert expects to remain longer than initially anticipated given Victoria’s worsening coronavirus outlook.

“With the situation back at home there’s probably the assumption that we will be here for a little bit longer than what we expected,” he said.

“But much like the old cliche in footy is ‘one week at a time’, really it’s probably ‘one day at a time’ now.

“All we can control is the way that we present up here.”