Collingwood interim coach Robert Harvey celebrated his first win after taking charge three weeks ago but was quick to deflect any reflection on his individual achievement to the work of his team.

"I managed to avoid [the Gatorade shower] thank god, I thought I was in trouble," Harvey said with a grin.

"I felt like the players had been so positive all day in how they were playing, there were just a few areas which had let us down.

"The message (at three-quarter time) was more of the same, just a bit quicker if we can. We felt like the shape of the game was where we wanted it, there were just a few things letting us down and in a few big moments, they got the better of us early."

Harvey said his side improved the quality of its entries inside 50 in the final quarter, having played into Richmond defender Dylan Grimes' hands earlier in the game.

"I thought there were some really brave efforts, particularly from our leaders, in the last quarter to get over the line, and that was really good to see.

"We had enough good looks, particularly in the first quarter, but we just over-cooked some entries, and I thought they were decent entries. I didn't think the game was that out of shape, it was just a matter of working through it and maintaining our composure."

Harvey said youngster Will Kelly will miss some time with a quad issue, with the medical staff not too sure yet of the severity of the injury.