Tigers on long road back
By Patrick Bartley
The Age
April 4, 2005
An elated Terry Wallace last night said that Richmond had taken a small step in its road to recovery, and credibility, after the club's 14-point win over Hawthorn.
The Tigers bounced back after what Wallace called a "diabolical" first-up performance last week when they were thrashed by 62 points by Geelong, giving the club its first win since round eight last year - 323 days and 15 defeats ago. The Tigers were able to turn it around with key performances by new captain Kane Johnson and classy forwards Matthew Richardson and Nathan Brown, who both kicked three goals.
"I sat here last week and said I was disappointed with our team leaders - well I thought they were absolutely terrific today and it makes the difference between winning and losing games," said Wallace.
Despite leading narrowly at the first three changes, Richmond looked wobbly midway through the final term when the impressive Chance Bateman goaled to put the Hawks in front by three points.
But last year's wooden spooner was able to steady with the last three goals of the match - the first to Brown after a strong pack mark and the last two to the oft-maligned Kayne Pettifer.
"It was a game today between two sides who've been down for a while that are trying to develop a game plan for themselves," said Wallace after celebrating his first win as Richmond coach against the team where he first made his name as a player.
"It was hard work, but sometimes those wins are the good wins to have, where you haven't jumped out of the blocks and done it easy."
The result was especially pleasing given the loss of the Transport Accident Commission as a major sponsor three days ago after Jay Schulz's drink-driving incident.
Wallace also paid tribute to Pettifer and Shane Tuck, who he thought underpinned Richmond's first win in 16 home-and-away rounds.
"I went to Shane at three-quarter-time and asked him to take on Sam Mitchell, who had been cutting us up and there was a little bit of pressure on Tuck anyway with his father being an ex-Hawthorn champion and a boy playing against them," he said. "I think he got 10 possessions and Mitchell four in the last quarter."
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