Wallace and Miller's football reports

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COACH’S REPORT

Terry Wallace

This time last year I stated to Richmond members that our aim as a team in 2006 was to take the next step forward.

Having gone from last place on the league ladder in 2004 with just four wins, to 12th in 2005 with 10 wins, was a significant rise for us.

The challenge for '06, however, was to ensure that our improvement graph kept going in the right direction.

That wasn't going to be an easy task because ifs a common occurrence for players to react strongly in the first season under a new coach and then slip back the following year.

Twelve months on, I'm pleased to report that, overall, the players responded well to the challenges that confronted them during the 2006 season.

We not only won one more game than we did in '05 and finished three spots higher on the ladder, but we achieved that predominantly with a much younger side.

The retirements of triple Jack Dyer Medallist Wayne Campbell and Mark Graham ripped 540 games of senior league experience out of our lineup. Throw in the fact that seasoned campaigners like Mark Chaffey (6 games in 2006), Greg Stafford (13 games), Trent Knobel (3 games) and Nathan Brown (10 games) had minimal impact throughout the season due to injury problems, and you can see it was quite a different-looking Tiger team which took the field in '06.

That's where the main positive of the year came to light. It was the opportunities provided to - and grasped by - young players such as Andrew Raines, Dean Polo, Nathan Foley, Matthew White, Richard Tambling, Adam Pattison and Cam Howat, that created a real sense of excitement at Tigerland.

Raines, Polo and Foley not only received NAB Rising Star nominations during the season, but they established themselves as important members of our line-up, displaying a maturity beyond their years in the way they went about their business.

There's a terrific camaraderie developing among the many young players we now have at the Club, and I'm sure this will play a key role in helping us attain the sort of sustained success all Tiger fans crave.

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Although we had a nightmare start to the 2006 season with that Round 1 flogging by the Bulldogs at Telstra Dome, and were sitting on the bottom with a 0-3 record after three rounds, our players showed admirable character to claw back into finals contention as the season wore on.

Clearly, the three 100-point defeats we suffered (against the Dogs, Sydney and St Kilda) were the lowlight of our year. It's simply unacceptable to be beaten by such massive margins and this is something we must work hard to rectify next season.

We beat just two of the teams in the final eight - Adelaide and Collingwood - which indicates our ladder position is correct at this stage of our development, and underlines how far we still have to go.

As I've already touched on, however, a major plus was the number of young players who had an impact for us in '06.

After blooding six youngsters in 2005 (Deledio, Tambling, Meyer, Pattison, Foley and Thursfield), we had another six debut this year - Cleve Hughes, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls, Luke McGuane, Polo, White and Howat.

We used 39 players during the season, which was more than any other club in the competition. Only two players on our senior list - Dean Limbach and Travis Casserly - did not get a taste of senior football this year.
Injuries over the past two seasons have certainly opened up plenty of opportunities in our line-up, but I'm keen in 2007 to see us regularly have a full complement of players available for senior selection. That would give us a more competitive environment, with players having to fight hard for their opportunities.

We need either senior players, or members of our quality younger group, to kick the door down at Coburg next season. As much as we all love to watch the youngsters in action, all listed players need to earn their right to play senior league football, so that there is genuine pride associated with wearing the famous Richmond guernsey.
The improvement shown by some of our more experienced players was another particularly pleasing aspect of our 2006 season, and a significant factor in our overall development as a team.

As we step up our planning and preparation for the 2007 season, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our full-time, part-time and voluntary staff in the footbaII department for their assistance over the past 12 months. I can assure you it takes a well-oiled machine just to get the team out on the ground each week during the season, and the efforts of all our staff are much appreciated.

 
I'd also like to pay tribute to Tiger members for their continued commitment to the Yellow and Black cause throughout '06. You have been extremely patient and loyal with your support for the Club and I can assure you that we are doing everything in our power to reward you with on-field success.

Again, our aim in 2007 will be to play finals football, but we have many other Key Performance Indicators, across a broad range of football aspects, which are a fair measure of how we're shaping up as team.

If we can get our numbers up, continue to nurture the large group of young playing talent at our disposal, while at the same time develop the side's style of play, then our graph should remain pointing in the right direction, as we build towards having a decent shot at AFL football's ultimate prize.

Terry Wallace
Senior Coach

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FOOTBALL REPORT

Greg Miller

I have no doubt the team took another giant step forward in 2006.

Not only did we win an extra game, to move from 12th to 9th, but more importantly with Deledio (21 games in '06). Foley (21), Hartigan (7), Hughes (3), Jackson (5), McGuane  (2), Meyer (8 ), Oakley-Nicholls (4), Pattison (15), Polo (17), Raines (22), Tambling (21), White (11), Howat (5), and let's not forget Will Thursfield's Round 2 game against St Kilda, we added valuable experience to a fine group of young men, moving them and our Club forward together.

The disappointing big losses we endured may be a blessing to the above group, who will now realise the level they must aspire to, and what they need to retain in their memories to inflict a similar fate on our 'enemies' when we are ready to do so. We have seen this occur recently with the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda, repaying what was dealt to them in the past.

The 2005 National Draft, while quieter for us in terms of numbers (compared to recent years), was no less in quality, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls, drafted as a 17-year-old, showed us more than expected in his debut year, Cleve Hughes will be a key position player for a long time at Tigerland, and Travis Casserly, although dogged by injury, showed signs of real class. Throw in our preseason draft choice in Matthew White and you can see that we continued to move forward with quality youth.

Our '06 AFL Rising Star nominees - Andrew Raines, Dean Polo and Nathan Foley - further underline the young talent we have unearthed.

The season was one of many highlights and a few lowlights. For me, the courage of our senior coach, Terry Wallace, in selecting the side he did for the 'Blockbuster' "Dreamtime at the G" game against Essendon in early May, was a standout. Choosing Dean Polo, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls and Cleve Hughes to play, in an already young side, was a great victory for the direction we have taken - and will continue to take.

My other highlight was the hat-trick of victories in Rounds 19-21. We topped 20 goals in all three games and reinforced this was not the 'Tigers of Old' but a new, young, enthusiastic force, who treat each game as an opportunity to display their talents.

The match committee's and, importantly, Terry Wallace's honesty with the playing group, is holding the Club in very good stead. All our players are treated with care and interest, and constantly receive an honest assessment of where they are at.

These are the ingredients for a successful on-field combination, it is Kane Johnson and his leadership group who complete this thorough education with their own brand of on and off-field direction.

The football department, while down on numbers compared to some of the other clubs in the competition, is high on quality, innovation and work ethic. From Paul Armstrong's affable, yet professional dealings with the coaches, playing group and part-time staff, to Terry Wallace's T@FE innovation, through to Brian Royal's conscientious approach, we have a top team in the football area.

The Coburg Football Club plays a key role in our overall development program and we are indeed blessed to have an excellent relationship with Andrew Collins (coach) and Ryan O'Connor (CEO). They understand what is required and deliver the perfect environment   for the education and development of our young players.

While we say goodbye to some great stalwarts of Tigerland in Greg Stafford, Mark Chaffey and Andy Kellaway, who have all had a lasting effect on our youth and provided great memories for our members, the trade period (Graham Polak from Fremantle) and the 2006 National Draft offer further additions to a Club that I am proud to say is doing things right.

Greg Miller
Director of Football

[F0551L]

well said Gents