Wallace denies Frawley dig
5:02:04 PM Tue 24 May, 2005
Paul Gough
Sportal for afl.com.au
Richmond coach Terry Wallace has strongly denied criticising former coach Danny Frawley in a television interview saying his comments about "the place being disarray" when he took over from Frawley were to do with the club's run down facilities rather than the state of the team.
The Tigers finished with their first wooden spoon since 1989 in Frawley's final year in charge last year, losing their last 14 games, but under Wallace are sitting in third place after nine rounds of 2005 with seven wins.
Speaking on Fox Footy on Monday night, Wallace, when asked what needed to change at Tigerland when he took over, replied: "I identified a mess for a start, I was just really surprised at the disarray the place was in."
Wallace went on to say: "Just from a presence and an outlook it was very, very poor and there were a lot of things that needed to be done.'
A newspaper article suggested on Tuesday these comments were on attack on the state of the team when Wallace took over from Frawley, but a disappointed Wallace said in his regular weekly media conference on Tuesday they were nothing of the sort.
"I woke up this morning to my alarm going of with the radio news and hearing I had taken a swipe at the ex-coach of this club - Danny Frawley," he said.
"But I wasn't having a swipe at Danny Frawley - what I meant was the place was in a mess and that is why I used the word place."
Wallace said he was shocked at the condition of the players' gymnasium and recreation area as well as the offices of the football staff which were rundown compared to the Tigers' brand new administration area and swimming pool which had just been built next door.
"The windows hadn't been cleaned for two years, the carpets hadn’t been steam cleaned at all, the whole building had possum excretions all over it - the place stunk."
"I wouldn’t accept that I could work in that environment let alone the players being able to come in and have respect for the club when the place did not have any respect for itself."
Wallace pointed out he had written an article for Richmond's "Fighting Tiger" newsletter to club members back in December highlighting the same issue.
In fact the Tigers' coach helped clean the place up himself, along with the players and staff, prior to assuming control of the club back in October.
"We had no meeting room of any sorts and the place hadn't been cleaned for a long time, and how that could be turned into a situation where I am having a go at Danny Frawley, well, I don't know."
Frawley was asked about Wallace's comments on Tuesday, while attending the launch of the E J Whitten Legends match, and said he did not mind Wallace speaking his mind but would check with him to see what he meant by his comments.
But Wallace said he would explain to Frawley that in no way were his comments critical of him.
"Danny was not the janitor here and how those comments were taken that I was having a go at the ex coach is unbelievable," he said.
"It's so disappointing. I was involved in a coach v coach situation only a week and a half ago (with Fremantle's Chris Connolly over the use by players of caffeine tablets) and the last thing I would be doing is having is having a swipe at another coach."
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