Tigers weigh up key defensive options
10:57:50 AM Tue 22 February, 2005
Tony Greenberg
richmondfc.com.au
Richmond coach Terry Wallace is keeping his options open with regards to a replacement at centre half-back for Jay Schulz, who will be out of action for the next 8-10 weeks with a broken ankle.
Wallace had earmarked the 19-year-old for the Tigers’ key defensive post this year, and liked what he saw of him in last Friday night’s Wizard Cup opener against Collingwood at Telstra Dome, before the serious injury occurred.
“Look, he was only just learning the role . . . the disappointing factor is that I thought he was really impacting on others down there when he was on the ground,” Wallace said.
“He was able to come three-deep on probably four or five occasions to help out players like Jackson and Gaspar in their particular roles. When he was off the ground, in the last quarter, all of a sudden the floodgates opened a little bit and we were more exposed.
“So, he was very, very handy back there and now we’ve just got to teach other players the same message that we’ve been teaching him over the pre-season.”
Players such as Andrew Kellaway, Ray Hall and Shane Morrison will all come into calculations to fill the void at centre half-back in Schulz’s absence.
“Obviously, we’ve just got to see who we think can hold down the position until Jay returns . . . We’ll give a few other blokes an opportunity there and see who grabs it.
“Andrew Kellaway’s played there a lot in the past, although I suppose it’s not necessarily where we are going for the future. I think Jay’s still where we’re going for the future at centre half-back, but in the short term Andy is certainly capable of holding down the spot.
“Both Ray Hall and Shane Morrison will also be given their opportunity to play there over a period of time and we’ll just see how they step up to the mark . . .”
Wallace believes Schulz needs to turn his extended period on the sidelines into a positive.
“Every player gets major injuries at some stage of his career. I think the thing with Jay is that he now looks to spend even more time trying to develop his body, so that he comes back nice and strong when he’s ready to play again,” Wallace said. http://richmondfc.com.au/default.asp?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=186368