Tigers point to a better future
By Rebecca Williams
Herald-Sun
August 27, 2007
RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace said he hoped Sunday night's upset win over Essendon will convince supporters the club is heading in the right direction.
The Tigers spoiled the MCG farewell of Bombers coach Kevin Sheedy and champion James Hird to record just their third win of the season.
But Wallace hoped the 27-point victory would instil more faith in the club's plans for long-term success.
"We have been telling our supporters about where we believe we are heading," Wallace said.
"There have been some who haven't believed the story at all. They believe that's all it is - a story.
"I just hope that on a big stage and with a big crowd that our people-- I don't care what other people think to be honest - can start to understand and start to see the story."
Wallace said the Tigers wanted to respect Sheedy and Hird, but didn't want to let the crowd or the occasion affect the team.
"We had spoken about respecting both Kevin and James at the end of the game and that we would rather do that as winners," he said.
"It was going to be a long lap standing out there the entire time as losers.
"One of our plans was that, in big matches, we weren't to let any outside influences have any impact at all on what we were doing.
"We knew the crowd would be there and they would be up. We just had to make sure we did our job and not worry about any of the external things going on."
Wallace said he was proud the club had stuck to its plan of blooding young players.
He believed the group was confident about making a fresh start next season.
"This football club, for a long period of time, got players from other clubs to fill and do the jobs," he said.
"But what we said we were going to do this time around was we were going to develop our own, even if it took time and even if we copped a bit of flak along the way.
"That's what we have done.
"We're young, we're learning, but we're starting to develop something that the guys think they can sustain over summer and into a new year."
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,8659,22313329-23211,00.html