More relief than joy for Wallace
richmondfc.com.au
By Mic Cullen
6:48 PM Sat 23 August, 2008
IT WAS difficult to work out what Richmond coach Terry Wallace was feeling after his side's seven-point win over Fremantle -- frustration and relief were both evident.
The Tigers played somewhat manic football for the majority of the match, and paid the price with turnover after turnover, but when they calmed down in the last four consecutive goals gave them the winning break.
The hosts trailed at every change, and Wallace's frustration was evident both in the coaches box and in the post-match media conference.
"From our point-of-view, we didn't think we played well," he said. "Particularly at half time, we had a lot of senior players that hadn't had a lot of footy and were down, which happens at times.
"But you don't always play well, and it's not always on your terms.
"This opposition were two goals in front of Sydney (with just minutes to go) in Sydney a couple of weeks ago, and they were a dangerous opponent coming into this match.
"But in the last quarter our boys found a way to win the game, which was the most important thing.
"I think we handled the last quarter better. I know they got close to us again at the end, but we came from seven or eight points behind at three-quarter time and got ourselves nearly three goals in front, so that's a fair turnaround when you're not playing great footy.
"I just thought we controlled the tempo in that period of time, and probably showed more control than what we had."
The majority of the game was played at a far more frenetic pace than Richmond's superb undoing of the Hawks last week, and although Wallace said that although teams needed to employ different game plans for each different opposition, he was glad his players finally worked out that a change was needed.
"Every week you're dished up something else, and you've got to be prepared to adjust, but in saying that, I thought we played on ad nauseum in the early part of the game, and actually ran ourselves into trouble.
"The pleasing thing was that at three-quarter time they've got it through their heads - it might have taken a quarter or so longer than we hoped – but they actually got it through their heads that we had to slow down the game ourselves and keep more control of it.
"When the game was there to be won, we controlled that part of the game better."
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