Tiger list spat
06 June 2007 Herald-Sun
Mark Robinson
UNDERLYING hostility between Richmond coach Terry Wallace and his predecessor Danny Frawley has spilled over after Wallace again claimed he inherited a shoddy list at the end of 2004.
Although Wallace said yesterday he was not blaming Frawley or Tigers football director Greg Miller, Frawley was left bemused by Wallace's continued reference to the club's list.
"It's hard to have a clear vision when you keep looking in the rear vision mirror," Frawley said. "That's my belief on where Richmond is at the moment . . . and where Terry is at.
"I don't know how many times it's going to rear its head, but it's all dead.
"I would've thought he's got bigger fish to fry and that's win a game of footy."
Frawley, who works as a TV and radio commentator, did not want to be seen as the bitter former coach but, at the same time, he was fed up with seemingly being whacked by his former club.
"I laugh at it now," he said.
"At the end of the day, he's in the second part of his contract now, and he can keep looking at the past.
"I'm a big believer in not worrying about the problem, but give me the solution."
Wallace opened an old wound on TV show Footy Classified on Monday night when he said he did not regret calling the Richmond list he had inherited a "train wreck".
"From a list management point of view it was," Wallace said. "We just had so many players 26 and above at the club that were going nowhere."
The injury-ravaged Tigers have only a draw from 10 matches this year and are favourites for the wooden spoon.
Plough sparks list spat Wallace has been critical of the list he inherited and on Monday night reiterated the absence of 22, 23 and 24-year-olds at the club.
Frawley, who was sacked as Tigers coach and now does part-time mentoring at Hawthorn, was inundated with media yesterday.
"I quite laugh at it because it's three years ago now," Frawley said. "I actually look at Hawthorn's model compared to Richmond's and where the clubs were at that time."
The Hawks dismantled their 2004 list and are now third. The Tigers also discarded players, but fall way behind the Hawks.
Frawley highlighted what he described as inconsistent decision making from Wallace in trading and selection.
"Gaspar going, fair enough, I can see that, but (Jack) Riewoldt and Cleve Hughes are in the twos and Kent Kingsley is getting a game so where's the consistency?" Frawley said.
"They're still trying to stop-gap with guys like Kent Kingsley, and Patrick Bowden and Mark Graham in his first year.
Frawley, who conceded he and Wallace were not friends, returned to the club two weeks ago to address the players about 100-gamer Andrew Krakouer.
Wallace told the Herald Sun last night he wasn't blaming anyone for the state of the list.
"I wasn't talking about anyone, I was just talking about the condition of the list, how it was structured and it was probably structured over a six or seven-year period," he said.
Former recruiting manager Greg Beck played a major role before Miller's arrival in October 2002. Although Miller was the list manager for two years under Frawley Wallace remains a staunch supporter of his right-hand man.
"I've got no issue with Greg Miller, we have a fantastic working relationship," he said.
Miller last night said he and Wallace were on the same page. "We're best of mates."
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21856846%255E19771,00.html
