Melbourne will have to think laterally to come up with an urgent plan for what to do in the ruck after Jake Spencer joined star ruck Max Gawn on the injured list.
Melbourne coach Simon Goodwin said the club would need to be creative to fill the ruck void after Spencer suffered a shoulder injury that is likely to sideline him for some time.
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Richmond overhauls Melbourne in ANZAC eve thriller
Richmond kicked five unanswered goals in the final term to beat Melbourne by 13 points. The Tigers are now 5-0 for the first time in 22 years.
The injury to the AC joint, which will be assessed during the week, means the Demons have been left with no recognised ruckman at the moment. Mitch King, 20, who has yet to debut, has played one reserves game after a knee reconstruction.
The Demons, who have now lost three games in a row, face Essendon, Hawthorn and Adelaide in the next three weeks.
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On Monday night against the Tigers, Jack Watts rucked for most of the game with key defender Sam Frost helping out. Frost could be used as the first ruck in coming weeks with Oscar McDonald coming back into the side to replace him behind the ball.
Melbourne's injury troubles worsened when Tim Smith, another key position player, suffered broken ribs and possibly a punctured lung in a marking contest. He was to spend the night in hospital for assessment and observation.
"In a lot of ways I was proud of the boys' performance to be dealt the blow of the two talls going out of the game early," Goodwin said.
"We struggled a bit structurally but the boys found a way for three quarters to get us into the position we did. We probably didn't capitalise on the momentum that we had in the first half.
"In the last quarter it was pretty frustrating. We have been in positions throughout the season so far where we have to maximise opportunities better and find a way to win a game.
"When the time comes in a game we have got to find a way ... when you become a really good team you actually find a way in those situations to get the result you need and we are not at that point yet, we still at the end of quarters have to have more composure and stop the opposition scoring."
Goodwin said the match committee would have to be creative in dealing with the loss of the two rucks.
"There's some options that are there, we have got to think our best way forward, something I haven't thought about yet ... we will have to think a little bit laterally and come up with a plan this week that is going to work for the footy club."
Frost said he was happy to shoulder the ruck if required.
"I am a bit underprepared. I have done plenty of it in juniors but it's a different story when you are not the biggest one out there," he said.Â
"I don't mind it because it gets me around the contest but it is tough work. Potentially they might want me to, I suppose. I will take it as it comes. If that is what they need me to do that is what I will do, we need a to find a way to fill that void and if I need to do that that is what I will do."
Christian Petracca got a knock to the knee and spent the night in the forward line.Â
"We were going to play him through the middle more but he got that knock early and it probably limited his running throughout the game. I still think he contributed well as a forward at times, he looked a but limited," Goodwin said.
Goodwin said he was worried by the goals the team was conceding late in quarters after Shaun Grigg kicked a goal on the half-time siren and the Tigers kicked the last two goals of the game. Richmond also kicked three behinds late in time-on of the third term.
The crowd of 85,657 was the biggest crowd for a Melbourne home-and-away game since 1964. Â