Interim Richmond coach Andrew McQualter has defended the actions of young forward Maurice Rioli, who waved off a phone call from his coaches after being subbed out of Sunday's win over West Coast.

The Tigers made their tactical substitution midway through the last quarter of their 38-point win over the Eagles, with Rioli managing six disposals and three marks before being replaced in the game by Hugo Ralphsmith.

The decision to pull Rioli from the field was one that was met with frustration from the 20-year-old, who would not engage with assistant coach Ivan Maric as he attempted to hand a phone lined to the Richmond coaches box shortly after being placed on the bench.

McQualter, who wasn't the staff member on the other end of the call, was asked on the matter after his team's fifth win in six weeks.

The caretaker coach said the club will look into the matter, but he understood Rioli's frustrations.

"The reality is I've been subbed off and it's not a nice feeling, I understand," McQualter said.

"(A) young kid, he's trying to make his way, I understand if he was disappointed. He'll be OK.

"I'm not exactly sure how it played out at that time, whatever happened we'll deal with it when we need to.

"I'll probably just wait until I understand the situation fully before I comment any further."

The Round 18 appearance was Rioli's eighth game of the season, having only returned to the senior side in last week's win over Sydney. The pressure forward played in five of the club's opening six games of the season prior to battling a hamstring injury for an extended period of the year before making his return through the VFL in June.

Selection pressure could be mounting on the young goalsneak, with fringe forward Rhyan Mansell among Richmond's best in the VFL over the weekend against Southport. After serving a three-game suspension for rough conduct, Mansell made his return against the Sharks on Saturday and would record 25 possessions, eight marks, six tackles and two goals in a 13-point win in Queensland.

Noah Cumberland was another attacking Tiger to boot multiple goals in the state league win with two of his own, while key forward Kaelan Bradtke led all scorers for Richmond with a trio of majors.

Richmond's AFL side will face Hawthorn this Saturday as they look to make their return to the top eight for the first time since Round 3. That match will be held at the MCG at 1:45pm (AEST).