Daniel Bradshaw finished with four goals, including his 500th career major, as the Swans won 16.15 (111) to 7.14 (56).
It was the Swans' eighth consecutive win against Richmond, extending a streak that stretches back to round 14, 2005 when the Tigers prevailed by a solitary point at the MCG.
That illustrious occasion was a distant memory on Saturday night as the Swans enjoyed a near-complete domination of their struggling opponents in the first half.
They booted the first nine goals of the game to lead by 54 points before Shane Edwards broke the Tigers' drought midway through the second quarter.
Richmond put up a brief fight in the third term, slotting three consecutive majors to stem the tide but it was a short-lived renaissance.
Only the Swans' inaccuracy -three goals from 10 shots - spared the Tigers further pain in that quarter.
They held Richmond at arm's length in a lacklustre final term, in which injury was added to the Tigers' insult when youngster Relton Roberts was knocked unconscious and carried from the field.
Bradshaw looks set to thrive in the tight confines of the SCG and Swans coach Paul Roos was delighted with at how his surprise acquisition was progressing.
"He's looking really dangerous and there were a couple of marks he dropped, but he kicked a couple of crucial goals and he's starting to really look like the player we want him to be," he said.
Roos had similar praise for Ben McGlynn (31 touches, three goals from eight shots), while Jude Bolton was outstanding around the clearances, Kieren Jack was excellent in his 50th game and Heath Grundy continued to excel at centre half-back.
Overall, Roos was relieved his side was able to back up from its stellar road win against Adelaide and emerge with the four points.
"They came back and tested our guys; you take a win any day of the week, it doesn't matter who you play," he said.
"We have had a couple of really tough weeks and mentally it can be challenging playing against teams that are young and a bit unpredictable."
Richmond coach Damien Hardwick said the scoreboard was, in some ways, less important than the lessons learned by his young charges.
While he was heartened by the Tigers' second half fightback, he acknowledged that there was still much improvement needed.
"Every time we go out there, we learn something about this group and how they play," he said.
"We're under no illusions as to how far we are back and we know we've got a long way to go."
First-year Tiger Dustin Martin showed up his more experienced teammates with a superb game in midfield, while Edwards and Daniel Jackson were also among the few visitors to shine.
The Swans travel to Etihad Stadium to face North Melbourne in round four while Richmond returns to the MCG to take on Melbourne.
Sydney Swans 6.4 10.6 13.13 16.15 (111)
Richmond 0.4 1.8 4.10 7.14 (56)
GOALS
Sydney Swans: Bradshaw 4, McGlynn 3, Goodes 2, O'Keefe, Kennedy, Jack, Moore, Mumford, Bolton, Malceski
Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Edwards, Simmonds, Nason, Deledio
BEST:
Sydney Swans: McGlynn, Malceski, Grundy, Bradshaw, McVeigh, J. Bolton
Richmond: Jackson, Edwards, Riewoldt, Martin, Nason, Deledio
INJURIES
Sydney Swans: Moore (ankle)
Richmond: Roberts (concussion)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Hay, Wenn, Jeffery
Official crowd: 28,414 at SCG
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
