Tank it, you Tigers
01 May 2007 Herald-Sun
Mark Robinson
NASTY word tanking, nastier inference as well, but that's what Richmond coach Terry Wallace should be doing.
This is coming earlier than usual, but that's football for clubs in the business of long-term planning.
Wallace has 17 games this year, 22 in 2008 and 22 in 2009, before the club decides whether he will coach again. In essence, he has a 61-game season to build a competitive football team.
The Tigers can not make the eight this year, so Wallace has little or no option: He must play kids to (a) find out if they can play and (b) get games into those who can play.
There are many versions of tanking.
The absolute, is play to lose. It's unheard of and insulting to not only Wallace and his players, but to football itself.
Mine revolves playing kids and developing them.
The cost of that is lack of experience, which means in games the Tigers could win, they will more than likely lose because young players have not got the total awareness, fitness and mental strength required.
The benefits of playing kids are obvious: you finish bottom and pick up the best young talent in the draft.
Let's get serious. It's either that or the zip-five Tigers play their most experienced side, win a couple of games and, just maybe, battle to a 11th, 10th or, dare I say it, another ninth position.
The positive of playing kids was also evident last week against West Coast. Kids give you hope and flair, just ask Collingwood.
The Tigers lost, but gee they worked hard. Wallace said post-match he was sick of honorable defeats, but that's just him outwardly raising the bar.
Inside, he would be proud of the effort.
Indeed, Wallace is already on the youth highway. Two weeks back he played King, who is 23, and Edwards. Last week, he included Hughes (centre half-forward) and Jackson (defence) and then Oakley-Nicholls came in for Andrew Krakouer.
Others will be given the challenge. Luke McGuane is in, Kelvin Moore beat Ryan O'Keefe in Round 2, and Adam Pattison and Danny Meyer will get more game time.
As the year pans out, Thursfield will be back, Polo, who was best afield for Coburg last week, will get rid of his tips and Wallace will soon find time for Round 1 draftee, Jack Riewoldt.
The rest, such as Casserly, and last year's draftees Connors and Collins, will also get a sniff.
Remember, too, that Polak is 22, Foley 21, Deledio 20 and Raines 21.
Football is a movable feast so there will be sacrifices.
At 0-0, Kent Kingsley was a bonus. At 0-5, he is a hinderance and should not be played. If he's picked, a youngster will miss. The former Cat should take his money and help develop the VFL.
Krakouer, too, needs to convince the coach if he can and wants to play. That itself is a strange comment considering he's played almost 100 games since 2001.
Wallace can not play all kids.
At some stage, though, he will have to decide between, say, Tivendale or Polo, Krakouer or Meyer and Gaspar or Thursfield.
In July, 2005, Wallace told the Herald Sun: "There are others in the competition who believe you need to bottom out and be prepared to wear the wounds of absolute non-success to get that core group of players and come back up. I do not believe in that."
This is not about bottoming out.
This is about picking up a Murphy, Gibbs or Riewoldt, or even a Jonathan Brown or Chris Judd, so by that the end of '09, the list is even stronger.
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21649856%255E19742,00.html
