Wallace sees 'nice signs'
7:51:56 PM Fri 16 February, 2007
Angus Morgan
afl.com.au
Richmond coach Terry Wallace was pleased with the intensity of the Tigers' final major hit-out - an intra-club match played in oppressive conditions on Friday at Casey Fields in Cranbourne - ahead of the club's first round NAB Cup fixture against Geelong on Sunday week.
With one minor concession, that his players' "poise and execution still needs some work" - an observation one would expect from a senior coach one week out from the pre-season comp - Wallace had no complaints about the workout conducted before an enthusiastic crowd of around 1000 Tigers' faithful.
Rather than pit 'probables' against 'possibles', the 'black' and 'white' squads coached by Jade Rawlings and David King were selected with key match-ups in mind.
"Probably this year we've done a lot more match simulation where the different lines have been with each other so what we wanted today was just an even hit-out where good players had to compete against good players," Wallace said.
"We had a few blokes tagged so it wasn't just a walk in the park and I was satisfied with the hit-out."
Wallace was reluctant to single out any of the club's first year players for praise, but said he was looking for improved performances from the Tigers' second and third year players.
"I thought Cameron Howat who's on our rookie list was probably the standout of those guys today. I thought he was really impressive with his efforts and his performance," Wallace said.
"Angus Graham, the ruckman, I thought he tired by the end of the game but he showed some nice signs and he's an improving player … but we need guys like (Dean) Polo, (Brett) Deledio and (Richard) Tambling to take the next step."
Of the new youngsters, Jack Riewoldt hauled in a couple of attention-grabbing pack marks, and Shane Edwards was busy and creative throughout in a midfield role.
Nathan Brown and Kayne Pettifer were damaging forwards for the white line-up while Deledio, playing as a loose man across half-back, got a heap of the ball and generally used it to good effect.
"He was allowed to do his own thing a little bit back there I thought, but certainly we see him playing a variety of roles and coming off half-back there's so much run coming off that region of the ground nowadays … that's the way the game's going," Wallace said of Deledio.
"He'll play midfield, he'll play across forward, he'll play across half-back - he just found himself at half-back today."
The club's prize recruit, former Fremantle utility Graham Polak spent most of the match in defence and did a solid job when matched-up on Matthew Richardson, but also bobbed up with a big grab and goal when swung forward in the third term for the whites.
"We've only seen him as a backman because that's where our needs are, but I think probably he's a better forward than back. What he showed today is that at any point and time in a given game if you place him at one end, he can go and do a job at the other end as well," Wallace said.
Adam Pattison (corked thigh) was the only player who appeared to pick up an injury during the contest, though the club was confident that he would be available for selection against the Cats, unlike the handful of players watching on from the stands including Carl Peterson, Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls, Ray Hall, Will Thursfield, Jay Schulz and Troy Simmonds.
"Anyone that wasn't out there today won’t play (in NAB Cup round one)," said Wallace.
"We've got a 'no risk' policy and if they haven’t been able to come up and get some ground time today, we'll go with the guys who are fit and healthy and well."
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