Richmond have come from nowhere to win what fans dubbed the “worst game of footy” against Essendon on Saturday night, with the Bombers left to rue an “almost certain” ACL injury for star midfielder Nic Martin.

Both sides failed to kick a goal in the second quarter and the Bombers managed the solitary major in the third term before the match was flipped on its head in the last.

Tigers veteran Tim Taranto ended his team’s drought with a bomb from a set shot before Jacob Hopper kicked Richmond ahead and an impressive kick from Jonty Faull sealed the 6.10 (46) to 4.13 (37) victory.

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So low was Richmond’s effort and skill levels before the final flurry that Garry Lyon in commentary said it was “just mind-boggling” what was unfolding before his eyes.

“They’re not out if it because the other side hasn’t been that flash ... you’ve got to try and manufacture something,” he said on Fox Sports.

“It’s easy for us but it’s just unacceptable, sorry.”

Even Richmond’s milestone man Nick Vlastuin accepted his 250th AFL game — the Tigers’ first win since May 11 — was not one to rewatch.

“Yeah, it was ugly, but a win’s a win,” he said.

Fans all over social media derided the quality, with the loss adding salt in the wounds for an Essendon side reeling from another injury setback.

Martin fell heavily over the boundary following a push from Richmond’s Rhyan Mansell and immediately limped from the ground.

The Bombers were initially tight-lipped on the severity and did not say whether they believed Martin, who looked shattered before returning on crutches with ice wrapped around his right knee, had avoided the worst-case scenario of a torn ACL.

But coach Brad Scott later said Martin had “almost certainly” copped the dreaded injury, with the news having sent “a shiver down everyone’s spine at quarter-time”.

Will Setterfield also appears to have suffered what Scott said was a “pretty serious” foot injury.

Essendon have already blooded 12 debutants this season, including Oskar Smartt on Saturday night.

“I can’t think of a situation like this in my time in footy,” Scott said.

“It’s a tough situation but we’ve just got to find our way through it.”

The Bombers now face a challenging home clash with the in-form GWS Giants on Thursday night.

Richmond, meanwhile, have injected a much-needed dose of optimism after being hammered by a combined 263 points over the past four weeks.

Taj Hotton was a popular debutant after arriving at Punt Road while recovering from an ACL injury.

The 19-year-old took a strong contested mark inside 50 to kick his first AFL goal in the first quarter.