Fact or Fiction

[froars]

Found this on the AAP site

http://www.aapracingandsports.com.au/sports/sportsindex.asp?cat=29

Wednesday, 11 August 2004: The R & S sports writers with their views on some current goings on in the AFL

Fact or Fiction: Terry Wallace is perfect for Richmond.

Michael Says: Fiction. While the list at Richmond does have quite a few big name players, Wallace's success came off the back of skilled workhorses such as Chris Grant, Brad Johnson, Rohan Smith, Scott West, Scott Wynd and Luke Darcy. Wallace simply focused the game plan to suit these types of players. Unfortunately for him, Wallace does not have the same caliber of players currently at Richmond. It will be a good show from a media perspective though.

Stuart Says: I disagree. It's FACT!

The workhorse mentality will come at Richmond, as Wallace will demand that Richmond transforms itself from tame cubs to ferocious flesh-eating Tigers.

Wallace will ensure this list plays for him, and his theory of coaching. Nathan Brown should be in a position of wanting to do anything for his coach if the reports he near begged Wallace to join Richmond are true. Mark Coughlan is the perfect Wallace-type midfielder, and Tim Fleming and company will be able to do the Liberatore/Wira tricks of doing their utmost to put the opposition off.

Do I think Richmond will improve more with Wallace rather than an Eade or a Harvey? Yes I do, but he's also perfect for the job.

Fact or Fiction: Richmond will be one of the top five teams in the AFL come the end of the 2009 season, when Wallace's five-year contract expires.

Michael Says: Fiction: In 2009 Richmond's key players will be aged between 25 to 28. While the team does have an impressive list of veterans currently, Mark Coughlan is the only payer in his age group that has proved to be of genuine star quality.

Simply put, the draft has not been kind to the Tigers over the last five years or so. Obviously they are looking at getting priority picks this year, but that is far too speculative at this point.

Stuart Says: FICTION. They'll be the most hated side in the competition come Round 22, 2009, as Wallace will ensure his players scratch, grab and antagonise as many opposition players as possible, but as for one of the five best teams? I can't see it happening.

To be one of the top five teams suggests you're likely to be in a Preliminary Final, and I can't see that happening to the Tigers inside five years.

[mightytiges]

A week is a long time in footy let alone 5 years. It's hard to say where any side will be in 5 years time but I would be expecting by then that we have at least started a campaign of regular finals appearances and I don't mean just scraping in either.

You just need to look back to 1999. The Pies were wooden spooners; Freo were perennial losers; the Saints hadn't even begun to be crap (2000-2002 were their rock-bottom years) and now they're back up the top again; Geelong and the Eagles had ageing lists taking them nowhere - both are now in the finals.

As for skilled workhorses - Brown, Johnson, Cogs, Bowden, Richo, Otto, Newman. Cambo would be in there too but is admittedly and sadly nearing the end. We still need to find and add that extra bit of class that will take us all the way to a flag. Having early picks will help in that regard. However with some promising youngsters and the above names we at least have a foundation to draft, develop and build a team around. Our flaw is that most of list is not up to AFL standard. Not that our better player aren't. On top of that we had a coaching panel that didn't have a clue about the ins and outs of every aspect of modern footy unlike Wallace. I can't see Wallace taking any crap.

Anyway we shall see