Walls' Richmond review from the Age

[one-eyed]

For the battlers, it's a long way to the top
Robert Walls | September 4, 2007 | The Age

AS THE top eight teams prepare for week one of finals action, spare a thought for the bottom four teams. While their players won't be busy, their football departments will, as they work out what went wrong and what procedures they need to start the climb up the ladder.

Richmond, in Terry Wallace's first two seasons, overachieved, and in year three, a severe dose of reality has kicked in.

16 RICHMOND

IN THE past 12 months, coach Wallace got rid of two All-Australian defenders in Andrew Kellaway and Darren Gaspar. Had both stayed, the Tigers would have won more games in 2007. It was, however, the correct call as both were well past their best and the team would have been stunted for growth in the next couple of years. Instead, two skinny lads in Will Thursfield and Luke McGuane will benefit from invaluable experience in the key defensive posts. What crushed Richmond was the fact that its two most experienced ruckmen, Troy Simmonds and Trent Knobel, played 10 senior games between them for the season. It kills a team's ability to create all-important set plays at stoppages when the ruckmen aren't there.

In what was a wooden spoon season, there was an upside. Nathan Brown's rebuilt leg got by and he will be better in 2008. Nathan Foley became one of the game's premier midfielders. Graham Polak, the boom recruit from Fremantle, earned his pay and Brett Deledio looked good as a leading forward. Over the past month, the Tigers played some good football. Victories over Collingwood and Essendon in front of big crowds at the MCG will build confidence and near-misses against West Coast and St Kilda would have given satisfaction. With veterans Matthew Richardson and Joel Bowden still playing good football, the Tiger faithful can expect a much improved season in 2008. And especially so if they refrain from putting extra numbers in defence as they did for most of the year, and instead opt to go one-on-one all over the field, as they did in the past month.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/for-the-battlers-its-a-long-way-to-the-top/2007/09/03/1188783158072.html

[mightytiges]

Tell us something we didn't know Wallsy 

I wouldn't say we overachieved in Plough's first 2 years although we did pay a price at draft time finishing mid-ladder again. Not sure how you can overachieve coming 12th and 9th  ???. It was just we had more senior players in the team like Staff, Chaffey, Chubba, etc who got us wins against the bottom sides but weren't taking us anywhere further.