Murray MiddletonWill The Tigers Plough On?
June 12th 2008 14:00
Richmond's past two performances have produced much debate. Prior to the losses, the public perception seemed to be that the club was finally on track. This week's game against Melbourne shapes as a crucial contest. A win will maintain the Tiger's slim chance of making the finals. A loss will spell disaster. If Richmond lose, the most scathing questions will be reserved for their coach.
Terry Wallace is in the fourth year of a five year contract. It is an unusually long contract. The likes of Jonathon Brown, Brendan Fevola and Daniel Kerr have all had their contract negotiations stalled by their desire to gain the security of a long term deal. Is a coach any different? Wallace knew the magnitude of the job when he took over from Danny Frawley in 2005. It made sense for him to seek such a long contract. He was in high demand (Hawthorn and the Bulldogs were also looking for a new coach). It was a matter of whether the Richmond board were prepared to meet Wallace's demands.
No untried coach will ever get more than a three year contract. Wallace had proven himself, to an extent, at the Western Bulldogs. He reached consecutive preliminary finals in 1997 and 1998 and seemed to have re-built the Bulldog's list in 2002. His decision to leave the club was perplexing. Richmond's list in 2005 did not compare to the Bulldog's list that he left behind in 2002. There have been rumours that Wallace had a handshake agreement to coach the Swans in 2003. Regardless of whether this is true, Sydney made the right decision. Paul Roos had the player's support and delivered a premiership in 2005. As of yet, Wallace has not.
While Terry Wallace and Rodney Eade are both respected coaches, between them they have failed to win a premiership in almost twenty seasons. A premiership is difficult to win. In 'The Age' last Sunday Tim Lane questioned whether Mick Malthouse's output of two premierships was sufficient enough to warrant the aura that follows the Magpies coach. The truth is that Malthouse has managed to get the most out of his teams. The Collingwood side that lost consecutive grand finals in 2002 and 2003 was lacking in talent. But they were tough and uncompromising. It started with Malthouse and spread through to the team. The current RIchmond list is not much worse than that which Malthouse had at his disposal in 2002 an 2003.
Terry Wallace has found it difficult to shake the perception that he is a 'career coach'. His acrimonious parting with the Bulldogs is what created this perception. Earlier this season Wallace announced that the Tigers would be his last senior coaching role. It was a smart decision. Now he can focus on the job at hand. It is a tough job. RIchmond is considered to be among the big four clubs in Melbourne. Their supporters are unforgiving. Even their star players all seem to be fatally flawed. If Wallace is able to carry this team to the ultimate success, it will be remembered as one of the truly great coaching stints.
This week the media has questioned the Tiger's character. Following the shock win over Fremantle in round four, Richmond played one month of competitive football. They drew with the Bulldogs, narrowly lost to Hawthorn and had only themselves to blame for losing to St.Kilda. Against Essendon they broke through for a win. It seemed that they were finally on the way up - just in time for their coach to gain a contract extension.
In the last two weeks Richmond has come up against Sydney and Adelaide. Both team have shown how far away the Tigers are. Terry Wallace has re-introduced the likes of Joel Bowden, Kayne Pettifer and Greg Tivendale to the line-up in the past three weeks. All three players, be it fair or not, seem to embody the ethos of the football club. They have each spent at least one month in the reserves. In their absence the side seemed to have a better balance. Now that Richmond's form has stalled, questions are being asked as to why the coach made the three selections. It seemed to go against a formula that had been successful for the coach.
This week Tivendale and Pettifer have been dropped. Baring a farewell match, Tivendale has played his last game for the club. Kayne Pettifer is a difficult case. He is a very talented footballer. Like Jordan McMahon - who Richmond acquired during trade week - Pettifer is a top ten selection. This puts added pressure on both player and club to perform. By dropping Pettifer to the reserves, Wallace was hoping to instil more defensive qualities in him. However a leopard cannot change its spots. Pettifer is an instinctive footballer. As with St.Kilda's Stephen Milne, sometimes goals just aren't enough. The Tigers might be best to chase a second round draft pick for Pettifer during trade week.
Joel Bowden is another difficult case. He has given the club great service, but has also been plagued by claims from his own supporters that he is a little soft. In recent seasons Bowden has certainly had his share of meaningless disposals across the half back line. However he is only playing to team instructions. By Wallace's own admission, Bowden's days in defence are over. He is too slow. His only hope is to play up forward. He has been retained this week and will probably survive one more season. He should not play at the expense of Jack Riewoldt, as happened last weekend.
Wallace has been cruelled by Mark Coughlan's run with injuries. It is going to be difficult for Coughlan to return to football. He should be in the prime of his career. If he had have remained fit he would have been a fantastic player. The Tiger's midfield would look a lot stronger with Simmonds, Foley, Deledio and Coughlan standing at the opening bounce. To his credit, Wallace has not used Coughlan's injury, nor Nathan Brown's injury, as an excuse for his side's poor performances. He knows all too well that luck can play a big part in determining a coach's future.
The experiment with Matthew Richardson playing on the wing has been a talking point throughout the season. On the one hand, Richardson has produced some magnificent football. However in recent weeks he has been forced to rely on painkilling injections in his knee to make it through matches. This is likely a result from the extra running he has been asked to do. Richardson is thirty-three years old. By the time Wallace hopes to have the Tigers in contention, Richardson is unlikely to be around. He will leave a large hole in the team; the largest in any league side since Wayne Carey left North Melbourne. This is going to be Terry Wallace' biggest problem.
Terry Wallace is in the fourth year of a five year contract. It is an unusually long contract. The likes of Jonathon Brown, Brendan Fevola and Daniel Kerr have all had their contract negotiations stalled by their desire to gain the security of a long term deal. Is a coach any different? Wallace knew the magnitude of the job when he took over from Danny Frawley in 2005. It made sense for him to seek such a long contract. He was in high demand (Hawthorn and the Bulldogs were also looking for a new coach). It was a matter of whether the Richmond board were prepared to meet Wallace's demands.
No untried coach will ever get more than a three year contract. Wallace had proven himself, to an extent, at the Western Bulldogs. He reached consecutive preliminary finals in 1997 and 1998 and seemed to have re-built the Bulldog's list in 2002. His decision to leave the club was perplexing. Richmond's list in 2005 did not compare to the Bulldog's list that he left behind in 2002. There have been rumours that Wallace had a handshake agreement to coach the Swans in 2003. Regardless of whether this is true, Sydney made the right decision. Paul Roos had the player's support and delivered a premiership in 2005. As of yet, Wallace has not.
While Terry Wallace and Rodney Eade are both respected coaches, between them they have failed to win a premiership in almost twenty seasons. A premiership is difficult to win. In 'The Age' last Sunday Tim Lane questioned whether Mick Malthouse's output of two premierships was sufficient enough to warrant the aura that follows the Magpies coach. The truth is that Malthouse has managed to get the most out of his teams. The Collingwood side that lost consecutive grand finals in 2002 and 2003 was lacking in talent. But they were tough and uncompromising. It started with Malthouse and spread through to the team. The current RIchmond list is not much worse than that which Malthouse had at his disposal in 2002 an 2003.
Terry Wallace has found it difficult to shake the perception that he is a 'career coach'. His acrimonious parting with the Bulldogs is what created this perception. Earlier this season Wallace announced that the Tigers would be his last senior coaching role. It was a smart decision. Now he can focus on the job at hand. It is a tough job. RIchmond is considered to be among the big four clubs in Melbourne. Their supporters are unforgiving. Even their star players all seem to be fatally flawed. If Wallace is able to carry this team to the ultimate success, it will be remembered as one of the truly great coaching stints.
This week the media has questioned the Tiger's character. Following the shock win over Fremantle in round four, Richmond played one month of competitive football. They drew with the Bulldogs, narrowly lost to Hawthorn and had only themselves to blame for losing to St.Kilda. Against Essendon they broke through for a win. It seemed that they were finally on the way up - just in time for their coach to gain a contract extension.
In the last two weeks Richmond has come up against Sydney and Adelaide. Both team have shown how far away the Tigers are. Terry Wallace has re-introduced the likes of Joel Bowden, Kayne Pettifer and Greg Tivendale to the line-up in the past three weeks. All three players, be it fair or not, seem to embody the ethos of the football club. They have each spent at least one month in the reserves. In their absence the side seemed to have a better balance. Now that Richmond's form has stalled, questions are being asked as to why the coach made the three selections. It seemed to go against a formula that had been successful for the coach.
This week Tivendale and Pettifer have been dropped. Baring a farewell match, Tivendale has played his last game for the club. Kayne Pettifer is a difficult case. He is a very talented footballer. Like Jordan McMahon - who Richmond acquired during trade week - Pettifer is a top ten selection. This puts added pressure on both player and club to perform. By dropping Pettifer to the reserves, Wallace was hoping to instil more defensive qualities in him. However a leopard cannot change its spots. Pettifer is an instinctive footballer. As with St.Kilda's Stephen Milne, sometimes goals just aren't enough. The Tigers might be best to chase a second round draft pick for Pettifer during trade week.
Joel Bowden is another difficult case. He has given the club great service, but has also been plagued by claims from his own supporters that he is a little soft. In recent seasons Bowden has certainly had his share of meaningless disposals across the half back line. However he is only playing to team instructions. By Wallace's own admission, Bowden's days in defence are over. He is too slow. His only hope is to play up forward. He has been retained this week and will probably survive one more season. He should not play at the expense of Jack Riewoldt, as happened last weekend.
Wallace has been cruelled by Mark Coughlan's run with injuries. It is going to be difficult for Coughlan to return to football. He should be in the prime of his career. If he had have remained fit he would have been a fantastic player. The Tiger's midfield would look a lot stronger with Simmonds, Foley, Deledio and Coughlan standing at the opening bounce. To his credit, Wallace has not used Coughlan's injury, nor Nathan Brown's injury, as an excuse for his side's poor performances. He knows all too well that luck can play a big part in determining a coach's future.
The experiment with Matthew Richardson playing on the wing has been a talking point throughout the season. On the one hand, Richardson has produced some magnificent football. However in recent weeks he has been forced to rely on painkilling injections in his knee to make it through matches. This is likely a result from the extra running he has been asked to do. Richardson is thirty-three years old. By the time Wallace hopes to have the Tigers in contention, Richardson is unlikely to be around. He will leave a large hole in the team; the largest in any league side since Wayne Carey left North Melbourne. This is going to be Terry Wallace' biggest problem.
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Comment by Anonymous
I was very surprised to see Riewoldt dropped.
Wallace has been a failure.
All he is waiting for now is cancer to come and take him and his solarium away.