Wallace heads back to Tigerland Caroline Wilson
August 27, 2010 TERRY Wallace has been invited back to Richmond for the first time since his 2009 sacking and will attend the Tigers' last game of the season as a guest of the club.
In a week that has seen the former coach mend fences with his former player Luke Darcy and clear the air with Bulldogs chairman David Smorgon, Wallace confirmed he had accepted an invitation at the start of this month from Richmond president Gary March to attend the official club function at Tigers' round-22 clash with Port Adelaide.
''Marchy rang me three or so weeks ago and asked me to the game and I told him I'd love to come along,'' Wallace said last night. ''I've deliberately kept away from the club since last year because I didn't want to get in the way of anything Dimma [coach Damien Hardwick] was trying to do. Sometimes it just complicates things.''
While the Tigers have named Ben Cousins in their squad for a farewell game the Brownlow medallist remains uncertain to play. Cousins has indicated he would not risk the team's chance of success in its final 2010 game should his hamstring injury prove too much of an impediment.
Another player who will announce his retirement after an inspirational comeback to AFL football is Graham Polak.
Polak was almost killed when hit by a tram 14 months ago and was retained by the club on its rookie list this season. Polak has played a handful of senior games since recovering from the head injuries caused by his accident and he suffered concussion this season playing in the VFL for Coburg.
Now the 26-year-old, mindful of taking any further onfield risks with injuries, has chosen to call it quits. He told the club yesterday of his decision.
The decision to welcome Wallace was taken before Cousins's retirement announcement in which the 32-year-old thanked the former Richmond coach for taking a chance on him. Last night Wallace appeared as part of a discussion panel on Channel Seven after the second half of the Such Is Life documentary which chronicled Richmond's last-minute decision to recruit him.
''I've told Ben I can't make it into the rooms before the game,'' said Wallace, who has regular Sunday media commitments with Channel Nine, ''but I'm just glad to be going back.''
It is understood Wallace has also caught up in recent months with Richmond football boss Craig Cameron. Both parties agreed there were no hard feelings and that the former coach was welcome back at Richmond. The former coach sent footballer Andrew Collins a congratulatory text after a recent breakout performance.
Smorgon is understood to have explained to Wallace yesterday that the Western Bulldogs did not intend to snub him from Brad Johnson's recent testimonial which Wallace said he would have loved to attend. ''People who know me know that I will have my say but that I am not a grudge holder,'' Wallace said last night.
''David [Smorgon] and I had a coffee and we agreed there was no problem. We never really had a blue in the whole seven years we worked together at the club apart from that last week.''
Luke Darcy, who criticised Wallace in an online feature and made a joke at his expense at the Johnson tribute, telephoned Wallace several days ago to resolve the situation.
''What we did agree on wholeheartedly was that neither of us or the Bulldogs are well served by these things,'' Wallace, who did not want to detail the conversation, said.
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/wallace-heads-back-to-tigerland-20100826-13u6s.html
