So much for "Fortress Gabba".

A plan by the rebuilding Brisbane Lions to reclaim their homeground advantage was left in tatters after Richmond finally broke its winning duck for the 2006 AFL season with an upset 14.12 (96) to 11.16 (82) victory.

A stunning third quarter of 39 unanswered points and six straight goals set up the Tigers, who bounced back from losing star forward Nathan Brown just before the first bounce to secure a much-needed victory.

A frightening third quarter blast from Lions coach Leigh Matthews almost did the trick for Brisbane which reduced a 31-point deficit at the final break to just seven early in the fourth thanks to four answered majors.

Brisbane's Jared Brennan looked to make it five straight when he marked in the right forward pocket but surprisingly decided to play on, turning over possession to Richmond, which made the Lions pay when Richardson knocked in his fourth and final goal a minute later.

Richardson combined well with last minute addition Greg Stafford (three goals) to leave the majority of the 30,266-strong Gabba crowd gutted.

After suffering six straight away losses, Brisbane wanted to build on its round two, 18-point home win over Essendon and turn the Gabba back into a venue to fear for visitors.

But Richardson had other ideas.

The Tigers tall inspired what looked to be a flat Richmond in the third quarter with a gutsy hard ball get ahead of veteran Lions skipper Michael Voss that set up a Stafford goal and the visitors didn't look back.

The knives are now out for three-time premier Brisbane which has lost six of its last seven games since beating Hawthorn in round 19 last year.

Brisbane and Richmond came into the match placed third-last and last respectively - and it showed in a scrappy opening quarter in which the Lions just held out the Tigers 1.6 (12) to 1.4 (10).

It took Brisbane 28 minutes to nab its second goal when Daniel Bradshaw kicked truly early in the second quarter as both sides continued to struggle to find the target.

Richmond was behind the eight ball from the outset when Brown withdrew at the last minute as he continued his battle for full fitness following a horrific leg injury suffered in round 10 last year.

Brown kicked four goals in a matchwinning performance in Richmond's four-point victory over Brisbane the last time the two sides met in round nine last year.

Brown joined Andrew Krakouer on the sidelines as a last minute withdrawal with Stafford and Nathan Foley brought into the side.

Injury also dealt a major blow to Brisbane with Lions ruckman Clark Keating (foot) withdrawing, robbing him of the chance to play his first game for the Lions in 2006.

Matthew Moody was a last minute addition for Brisbane.

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