Plough wants time to look at kids
1:28:41 PM Fri 22 July, 2005
Matt Burgan
Sportal for afl.com.au
Richmond coach Terry Wallace says the omission of exciting young first-year Tiger Richard Tambling for Saturday night's clash against Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium is simply so the Northern Territorian can play a full match of football.
The 18-year-old has played seven matches this season after being the No.4 selection in last year's NAB AFL Draft, yet his debut season has been hindered by toe, back and hamstring injuries.
Wallace suggested it was important to give the emerging midfielder/forward some time to hone his craft with the Coburg Tigers at this stage of the season. Wallace also said he wants to see what promoted rookie Nathan Foley - who has been included - has to offer.
"We just thought that he (Tambling) hasn't had a lot of ground time over the last couple of weeks and he just needed to play a full game and we had other guys who we wanted to give an opportunity," Wallace said after the club's Friday training session at Punt Road.
"Young Nathan Foley, obviously he played in the Melbourne game earlier on, on the Friday night and then did a hamstring and we've got to make decisions on his career.
"He's a rookie, who is on the list at the moment because of the long-term injury list, but we've got to make a decision on his career as well and Kelvin Moore is in exactly the same position - where is he heading?
"The game is important in itself, but our future is important as well and there is no worry about where Richard's going - Richard's going where we are going - but we just thought that a little bit of ground time and giving him an opportunity to play a full game and look at a couple of others was the way to go."
Wallace was also delighted to give defender Kelvin Moore, whose season has been interrupted by a broken jaw, his first opportunity of 2005, after he impressed with nine senior matches last year.
"He really worked very, very hard over that period to show that he was keen to get an opportunity before the end of the season," Wallace said.
"He was out training all wired up - as Andrew Kellaway (who has a broken jaw) is now - but I just thought that he did everything in his power to get a chance.
"I think where we are as a club we've got to give these guys an opportunity to have a look at them, to see where we're going for future as well."
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