Wallace flags changes
Matt Burgan
richmondfc.com.au
9:32 PM Sun 30 March, 2008
RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace has promised changes after the Tigers lost their first match for the season against North Melbourne on Sunday.
Calling his side’s performance in the 41-point defeat "extremely poor", Wallace said he would drop players who “don’t respect the guernsey”.
"Last year we lost games and had a pretty ordinary season and at times we couldn't do anything about it - we just didn't have the blokes up and running and we had to go with the same blokes who let us down week-in, week-out," Wallace said.
"But I just wanted to let our supporter base know that we're fully fit and healthy and we've got blokes running around at [VFL side] Coburg … and blokes that don't respect the guernsey won't play.
"We're in a position where we can do that and we'll make changes to the side until we can get the right blokes in there that want to compete, so our supporters shouldn't walk away thinking they're going to get the same old, same old, because we'll throw it around and give some young blokes an opportunity until we get the right blokes in that want to compete."
Roos coach Dean Laidley fumed after his side’s 41-point win about an “unfair playing field”, with the Tigers enjoying a 10-day rest between rounds compared to North’s six days.
But Wallace said the side’s long break worked against it.
Wallace said the six-day break helped a "hardened" North Melbourne produce a far superior performance.
"Playing the first game of the opening round through to waiting around for the very last game of the Sunday game [is difficult] with the blokes sitting around all of the time," Wallace said.
"I think the Kangaroos – six days, angry and getting on with the next job straight away – versus us – fairly comfortable with ourselves over 10 days – made a huge difference.
"You try to warn blokes and they get a little bit of publicity and a few things happen, but [the Kangaroos] were much, much too strong for us and we couldn't get our hands on the footy."
Wallace said North Melbourne set the example from the first quarter.
"I'd spoken to my guys about the car careering towards you in one direction and we needed to be a car careering back in the other direction - not a pedestrian being run over - and we ended up being exactly that pedestrian in the first quarter," Wallace said.
"I've got no issue about the umpiring - our blokes were second to the ball and paid the penalty and the price for that."
http://www.richmondfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsId=57094
