Wallace interviewed by Ch 10 News at training today

[mightytiges]

Tezza was interviewed by Ch 10 News at training so he'll probably be shown on their sport report around 5.40pm tonight. He's what he had to say .

* NAB cup - We have mostly a full squad to choose from bar a few niggling injuries which might mean a couple miss the first week of the NAB cup. Oakley-Nicholls and Casserley have niggly groin problems so they won't play (Wallace mentioned the extra workload on new draftees going from 2-3 training sessions to 6 full time days at AFL level). Knobel will also miss (groin as well I think) and of course Browny.

* Browny is aiming to play 3 weeks out from round 1 and build up to a full game.

* We were behind compared to last year in terms of being ready to play a game of footy (we were ready by Christmas 12 months ago) but we're ready to go now as we've had a few intra-club/scratch matches.

* Schulz, Bowden and Kellaway as CHB options. You sometime need a bigger body while other times a more running type is useful.

* We should improve in the middle of the ground with a few more options available - Rodan, Hyde and Newman.

* Overall you'd hope there's natural improvement within the squad but Wallace said he placed no high expectations on our 1st and 2nd guys. Supporters who expect that are being unrealistic. Most of the improvement will come from the 4-5 year blokes - Simmonds, Hall, Schulz, Moore, Tuck, Cogs. He mentioned Cogs and Tuck tired towards the end of last year.

* Just on the 1st and 2nd guys, Wallace goes into a draft asking what each kid can do in 3-4 years time.

* On Tambo - Tezza said he's still 18-24 months away until we see the best of him. Last year was a big adjustment for him.

* On Lids - he's still learning the game despite his talents. Said he has no high expectations on him either.

* While we play an attacking brand of footy, you still need to find that happy medium between attacking and defending. Last year in a few games we let in too many goals.

* Richo while he remains athletic will play away from the goalsquare. As he gets older he'll then move into an Alistair Lynch role. Richo is over his knee problems of last year and he's alot fresher after this preseason.

* On the new rules - main beef was lack of consultation. Let the new rules run their course and then judge.

* On Vic Park - We're here before we can't use our home base. Ground surface fairly good though. He also mentioned that we have to put up with taping up behind the grandstand which is the kind of stuff of 20 years ago. Dees and Roos are also "nomads".

[mightytiges]

Just on the media guys that were there. I asked one of the H-Sun guys how we were looking compared to the other sides he's seen and he said it's hard to say at this time of year but he reckons we'll finish around 10th. He reckons our forward line has a fair bit of firepower if they get some good supply and that our midfield is pretty good but our defence is fairly weak. He rated Simmonds as the key guy who needs to improve if we are to do any better,

[one-eyed]

Wallace wants more from mid-range Tigers
3:25:51 PM Tue 14 February, 2006
Scott Spits
Sportal for afl.com.au

Richmond coach Terry Wallace says the club will need improvement from its mid-range players in order to progress in 2006.

After one season in charge of the Tigers, Wallace also says the club must find a happy balance with its attacking style of play and defensive accountability.

"I genuinely think we'll improve. I think we'll improve in the middle of the ground by just having more options rotating through there, getting Dave Rodan back into the side, having a few players like (Chris) Hyde and (Chris) Newman - who are just that 12 months further advanced - coming through the middle of the ground," Wallace said before Richmond's pre-season training session at Victoria Park on Tuesday.

"I think you'd expect that they'd be natural development from the younger boys, although I don't expect too much out of those because most of ours are only one or two years in the system.

"You should expect that (Shane) Tuck and (Mark) Coughlan can further improve. They had good years but probably got tired in the second half of the season (in 2005).

"Really the mid-range players is where you're looking at - guys that have been in the system for 4-6 years."

Wallace put the onus on 27-year-old big man Troy Simmonds - a veteran of 191 AFL matches with Melbourne, Fremantle and Richmond - to take a big step up after one season with the Tigers.
 
"Troy Simmonds is someone that we'd expect to have a stronger year now that he's 12 months into our system. Blokes like Ray Hall, Jay Schulz, Kelvin Moore - I would think that's where our natural improvement should come," Wallace said.

Without putting a figure on the number of matches the Tigers are seeking to win in 2006, Wallace says the club is striving for greater consistency in its performances.

"That's one of the things that we've concentrated on over the summer. We want to play attacking football but it can't be to the detriment of just allowing the opposition to do what they like," he said.

"A natural balance is where you've got to be and I think probably the first 12 months (of my coaching contract) was getting confidence back into the boys and sort of saying 'just go and play, go and run, and do all that you need to do'.

"Twelve months on we need to have a happy medium. I think we've got a good enough attacking brand of footy, but defensively we weren't sound in some games last year. We just need to get that balance right."

http://afl.com.au/?pg=news&spg=display&articleid=245504