Aftermatch media conference - Wallace hits back at critics

[one-eyed]

from the Sydney Morning Herald....
Richo steers Tigers to victory
March 20, 2008 - 10:13PM


Wallace said Richmond did not want to get carried away by the result, as the game was between last year's two bottom teams, but said the Tigers were different in 2008 than in previous years.

The Tigers had a light pre-season in an attempt to have all their players fit and available for the start but Wallace said some of the younger Tigers had grown over the summer.

"We worked on the mental part of our game quite a bit over the summer, and we are more mature, and we need to handle those situations and I thought we handled it pretty well," he said.

"(When down in the second quarter) we were never in a situation where we panicked on or off the ground ... we thought we were competing all right at that stage of the game but we weren't using the ball very well.

"Turnovers were hurting us ... at halftime my message was if we keep doing what we know we need to do it will turn around OK and it had already turned a little bit at that stage."

Ratten conceded Richmond had overrun Carlton and had beaten them where the contest mattered.

"They really beat us in the heat of the game, which was loose-ball and hard-ball gets," he said.

"In the hard-ball gets they smashed us, it was something like 41 to 26 and that's where we really got touched up."

Ratten said Fevola was lively early but could not get the supply he wanted after halftime.

Wallace said Jackson suffered a cut ear in his collision, while Howat and Hartlett were left dazed by their clashes.

http://news.smh.com.au/richo-steers-tigers-to-victory/20080320-20qw.html

[mightytiges]

"They really beat us in the heat of the game, which was loose-ball and hard-ball gets," he said.

"In the hard-ball gets they smashed us, it was something like 41 to 26 and that's where we really got touched up."

Our mids did the job tonight. Helps when you finally have a quality ruckman.

We were well down in loose-ball at half-time too. Got our running and linking game going halfway through the third and it was goodnight bluebaggers.

Wallace said Jackson suffered a cut ear in his collision, while Howat and Hartlett were left dazed by their clashes.

Good to hear Jacko is okay. I thought he may have done a shoulder the way the trainers were helping him off.

[one-eyed]

Wallace hits back at critics
Bruce Matthews | March 21, 2008 | Herald-Sun

VICTORIOUS Richmond coach Terry Wallace last night fired back at the critics who predicted another season of gloom and doom for his team.

Wallace said he urged his players to keep the faith amid predictions of a low ladder finish.

"I do find it strange at times that decisions are made on how people are going to go and what's going to happen before we've even bounced the ball," Wallace said after the Tigers' 30-point win against Carlton at the MCG.

"When you're in practice-match mode, we thought we'd let our actions speak. We were preparing for Round 1.

"We had spoken during the week that we needed to stand up and be strong about ourselves.

"It had nothing to do with me, it had nothing to do with anyone from the president all the way down. It had to do with the players playing the footy they needed to play."

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Video: Tigers defeat Blues The Tigers coach was not spooked when the Chris Judd-led Blues slipped away to a 25-point lead midway through the second quarter, before Richmond booted nine goals to two in the second half to run away with the contest.

"We were never in a situation where we panicked, either on the ground, off the ground or on the bench," Wallace said.

"We thought we were competing all right at that stage of the game, but not using the ball very well.

"When I came in at halftime, that was my basic message: If we keep doing what we know we need to do, it will turn around OK for us.

"We always thought the two things that were going to hold us in good stead was the health of our list -- senior blokes out on the ground rather than sitting in the grandstand like they've been over the last 18 months -- and a little bit more maturity to the structure of the side.

"We had a plan. I know no one wants to hear about plans pre-season. But we went into the NAB Cup underdone.

"We did that to make sure we had all our blokes actually on the park by the time we got to Round 1.

"Our plan was to then play all our players for four weeks and not rest them in the lead-in to the season so we had everyone match-hardened by Round 1.

"And I think that was the thing that got us over the line as the game wore on."

Young defender Will Thursfield, who held Blues bad boy Brendan Fevola to two goals, was among several young players lauded by Wallace, while at the other end Matthew Richardson led the second-half comeback to finish with five goals.

"With Matthew, the technical aspect of his kicking is always going to be a little flawed," Wallace said.

"But if we give him enough supply, he's going to hurt teams.

"Our biggest problem over the last 18 months is that we haven't got the ball inside 50 often enough to give him opportunities."

The AFL is sure to investigate an incident that left Tiger Cameron Howat sprawled on his back behind play. He was helped off by two trainers in the second quarter.

Howat had been involved in a tussle with Carlton's Adam Hartlett a few minutes earlier that left the Blues player needing attention from trainers.

"I've got no idea what the situation was," Wallace said.

"That's up to others to have a look at it."

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,23410602-19742,00.html