Terry Wallace: Pay big buck to recruiters, not coaches Mark Stevens and Jon Ralph
Herald Sun
April 21, 2011 TERRY Wallace believes clubs should switch their priorities by spending more money on recruiters than coaches.
The former Richmond and Western Bulldogs coach said talent identification and list management was now the key to success.
"If I was sitting on a board, I would be spending more money on getting my recruiting and list management right than would I would be spending on my coaching department," Wallace told Superfooty's Front and Square program.
"You might say that's flipped around the wrong way - and you've only got to look at what Essendon has done with their coaching structures - but they already had a good young list there.
"You need to get the right people to pick the right player ... then go for the coaching staff after that.
"Get the blokes that can really pick the eyes out of it. That's your football club history sitting right there.
Wallace pointed to Essendon nailing its early picks, with the likes of Dyson Heppell, Michael Hurley and Patrick Ryder all flourishing.
But Richmond was not as successful in Wallace's time at Punt Rd, with failures in the 2004 and 2005 drafts now haunting the club.
"The reality was we weren't recruiting well at that stage," Wallace said.
"We had five selections in the top 20 in that draft (2004). There's one of those in Brett Deledio still at the football club."
Richard Tambling (pick No.4), Danny Meyer (No.12), Adam Pattison (No.16) and Dean Polo (No.20) followed Deledio, but have departed.
Wallace also highlighted that the two top 25 picks taken in 2005 - Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls (No.
and Cleve Hughes (No.24) - are also no longer at Richmond.
He praised the Tigers' "bottom-end" selections, with late picks and rookie choices, but added: "The top-end stuff, you just can't afford to get it wrong".
Of that lost generation, Wallace said: "There's six that all should be playing in the senior line-up now. It would make a huge difference for Richmond if that was that case".
Richmond took Tambling at No.4, allowing Hawthorn to pick up Lance Franklin with pick No.5.
Asked how close the Tigers were to taking Franklin, now a superstar, Wallace said: "Nah, not close at all".
Wallace said Franklin was always going to be a top six player and was on the Tigers' radar, but the mantra was to take the best available player regardless of size or position.
"I had only been at the club three weeks I think, coming out of the media," Wallace said.
"My basic aim to the recruiters was, 'Pick the best players'.
"Richmond had lost 14 games in a row the season before - we just needed best player, best player, best player.
"It hasn't turned out that way - they won't be the first and the last."
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/terry-wallace-pay-big-buck-to-recruiters-not-coaches/story-fn7si05c-1226042477330
