Melbourne wore a new strip, unleashed a new midfield and used the new rules well to thrash Richmond in the AFL Wizard Cup opener at Telstra Dome on Friday night.

The Demons won by 43 points, 2.12.0.15 (105) to 1.8.0.5 (62).

Wearing an almost all-red strip instead of the usual red and blue, Melbourne jumped ahead in the second term with five goals while keeping Richmond scoreless.

The Demons moved the ball well in midfield, where Guy Rigoni, Matthew Whelan and Scott Thompson were excellent.

Rigoni and Thompson played five games between them last year due to injury.

But they combined with Whelan - usually a defender - and Andrew Leoncelli and former Bomber Chris Heffernan to give the Tigers a drubbing in the middle.

Melbourne's Paul Wheatley will be remembered by trivia buffs as the first player to be awarded nine points for a goal.

Wheatley took a handball from team-mate Jeff White in the first term and kicked truly from 52 metres.

The Dees' designated long kicker, Wheatley also bagged a nine-pointer in the third term.

But aside from the nine-point rule, the four other rules being trialled throughout the Wizard Cup were barely noticeable.

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