Tigers desperate for forward options
15 February 2006 Herald Sun
Jon Anderson
RICHMOND fans get ready for the ride because goals are again on the menu this season.
Coach Terry Wallace promised it last year and delivered, even if it sometimes meant the floodgates opened at the other end, a balance that will hopefully be righted this season.
The goalkicking options look greater this year, as evidenced yesterday at Victoria Park during a two-hour training session.
Daniel Jackson, 19, recruited as a defender from Carey Grammar, was a notable forward addition as he led from the 10m square.
Jackson spent the second half of last week's Ballarat intra-club practice match at full-forward, kicking three goals on Thomas Roach.
His move forward is an attempt by Wallace to discover smaller forwards who can "ping" from the goalsquare.
"It's the nature of the game, the quicks who can ping out of the goalsquare like Matty Robbins (Western Bulldogs)," Wallace said.
"We've tried (Brett) Deledio, (Richard) Tambling, (Daniel) Jackson and even (David) Rodan out of the square.
"Daniel Jackson is a bloody good athlete, can run distance, can run speed.
"He hasn't played a lot of footy and has sometimes struggled to find the ball in the middle of the ground where the angles are different. At half-back, it is more straight ahead so we've tried the same sort of theory coming out of the goalsquare.
"It simplifies the games for him and he's going OK."
Wallace expects 203cm ruckman Greg Stafford will spend a lot of time near the goals with Matthew Richardson playing up the ground.
That would mean Nathan Brown, Stafford and a leading forward, such as Jackson, near goals with Andrew Krakouer and Rodan hovering.
Then there's Kayne Pettifer and Deledio further out, and promising key forward Adam Pattison.
It's designed to add options to an attack that has relied on Richardson for a decade.
"I've tried to get them to be not completely Richo conscious because he'll find the ball anyway and kick his goals," Wallace said.
"Last year he kicked the same amount of goals at centre half-forward as he did the year before at full-forward, so he's best for us up the ground. "In the last three or four years of his career, as long as his body holds up, he'll come back to the goalsquare."
Right now that territory is open to young opportunists such as Jackson, although the well-spoken teenager admits he has a long way to go.
"I've got to learn to move like an agile forward and get in the positions to kick goals," Jackson said.
"I've had to learn to hold back against my will and wait for the right moment which is against my natural instinct.
"I have this real urge to go.
"Hopefully, it's another string to my bow, I'm still learning the game but it could give me more chances to play at senior level.
"I was only told a week ago I could be tried up forward.
"I'd been playing full-back and then moved to full-forward halfway through last weekend's practice game."
Jackson was an outstanding schoolboy athlete, capable of running 11sec for 100m and 49.7sec for 400m.
He played six senior games while still at school in 2004 and 10 last season.
After his first full pre-season, he is ready for the next step.
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