Wallace concern on tanking perception
AAP | March 14, 2008 04:47pm
RICHMOND'S Terry Wallace is one of many coaches concerned by the growing perception of tanking in the AFL.
But he is just as adamant that clubs continue to be allowed to manage their playing lists any way they want.
The issue flared up again last night when former Carlton assistant coach Tony Liberatore accused the Blues of not doing everything they could to win matches in the second half of the 2007 season.
Carlton lost their last 11 games to gain a priority pick for winning less than five games in two successive seasons, allowing them to draft Matthew Kreuzer with the No.1 selection despite finishing above wooden spooner Richmond.
Blues chief executive Greg Swann flatly rejected Liberatore's allegations.
Wallace said after Richmond's final match ag ainst St Kilda last year that he had never before gone into a match with such mixed emotions.
The Tigers lost, ensuring they would retain the second draft pick.
"What I said in that last round was that I don't necessarily like the ruling which has us scrutinised in such a manner and that's exactly what I was talking about," Wallace said today.
"Certainly in the press conference after round 22, every move we made, everything we did was scrutinised more than it would have been on any other occasion.
"... From our group of people in our football club in general we think that we finished the season on a really honourable note to beat sides that had beaten us earlier in the year."
The 16 AFL coaches asked their association CEO Neale Daniher yesterday to approach the AFL to address the damaging perception of tanking.
"We think there is a perception out there, whether that perception is one per cent right or 100 per cent right ... players play the game, they don't tank and therefore it comes back on the coaches," said Wallace.
"We're not satisfied with that and anything that can be done about that to alleviate it from the general public would be great."
But the Richmond coach made a clear distinction between clubs allegedly tanking and those booking players in early for post-season surgery once they were out of the running for a finals berth.
"Every club has to have the ability to manage their list in the way that they see most fitting," he said.
"The Kangaroos did a fantastic job in getting some of their guys' injuries fixed up early in the piece (in late 2006) and then coming back and having a fantastic summer and getting on top of that and it worked out very well for them.
"I think Collingwood a few years ago did the same.
"List management to me is a completely different thing than the whole tanking issue."
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23374421-19742,00.html
