Wallace's aftermatch media conference (audio and summary)

[one-eyed]

Terry's aftermatch media conference

http://sportal.com.au/site/_content/audio/00002418-source.mp3

[one-eyed]

Summary

* Always pleasing. They had a massive selection issues on who they bring back into the side. Do they bring back their taller players. Where do they get too tall.  Our situation was if they went tall we;d go small so brought in White late and Edwards. The plan was it'll be our run rather than marking.

* Richo's situation was devised at a lock-up session earlier in the week which we rarely do. Structured up to play Richo on a wing. As much as it was about Freo expecting Richo to play forward, Richo is 33 and although he was great again today it was also about our future and if we had KPPs to stand up. It's not easy to do that when the team is one-dimensional and always going to Matthew. We challenged Matthew to a new role and he took up the challenge which Terry admired him for as he's been playing forward for 15 years. He fantastically fit into his place.

* We structured a running side to compete against their tall side. Terry said he walked out onto the ground before the start of the game and noticed how much bigger Freo were. Massive team. We went back in and said it's got to be a game of the giants against the runners (laughs). That was basically the way we set up and spoke to the players about.

* A really big win for us. Positive and bouyant victory. We've always been confident on knowing the direction in which the club was going in the football division. It was others who get a bit wobbly on where it all sits and structures up. We can't be dealing with that. We know we've been under pressure and everyone has been aiming the cannons at us. But the only way to show something is to have a crack and show there's more ability that other people give credit for.

* We haven't struggled with that (clearances) all year. We've been a very good clearance side all year (even against Collingwood last week who are a very good side). The Pies were able to beat Freo in the clearances in round 1 so we were confident in that area today. A strong point for us. Main issue has been our composure with the ball. Last week had nothing to do with players having a go. We just gave the ball back playing like chooks without heads. Too much too quick. Much more composure today.

* Tactics today? You know the nature of the competition. You get it all right one week and then the opposition exposes something new in their armoury the next. We think we are on the improve. We're now 2 and 2. Plough said he thought people might pull the trigger earlier in the year but we've got a really tough run in the next month playing sides up the top of the ladder. Sometimes the trigger is pulled by looking at the draw but they didn't get it right this week.     

[one-eyed]

Runners 1, giants 0
richmondfc.com.au
Mic Cullen
9:49 PM Sun 13 April, 2008

YOU HAVE to love it when a plan comes together.

The Tigers called a closed training session during the week to work out their gameplan – to play Matthew Richardson on a wing and to outrun Fremantle – and it worked a treat.

The Tigers amassed an amazing 151 possessions more than the Dockers (426-275) and ran the ball superbly, with Richardson gaining 25 touches, including 15 marks along with four goals.

The veteran forward’s shift to the wing was planned as early as Monday, with the Richmond match committee preparing for a tall Freo line-up and deciding to combat it by being smaller, faster and smarter.

Coach Terry Wallace said the move of Richardson was about more than simply winning round four in 2008.

"Matthew's situation was something we planned for at a lockout session – which we very rarely do – early in the week, and structured up to play Matthew on a wing," Wallace said after the match.

 "As much as it was about that they would plan for him to play forward, it was also about our own future. Matthew is 33, and he's playing fantastic, and he did so again today, but we've also got to find out if we've got key-position players who can hold down positions for the future of the footy club.

"It's not always easy to do that when a team becomes very one-dimensional and we're so used to going to Matthew. We asked him if he could take up the challenge of another role and offer up a different forward structure, and look, he took up the challenge, which I admire him for. It's not very easy to do when you've done one role for the whole of your life and someone comes and tells you you've have to play on a wing when you're 15 years into a campaign, but I thought he did his job fantastic and the rest fitted into place.

"I said to the guys before the game we wanted to kick to targets, not reputations, and sometimes that doesn't happen in games of footy.

"I thought in that part of the game, we used the 22 that we brought over as well as I've seen us."

Wallace said the match committee clearly had a different plan to Fremantle’s for playing Subiaco Oval ‘s vast expanses.

"We chose a running side, and we just structured up what we thought was the right way to go, playing on a big ground. I must say, I walked out during the pre-match warm-up and was quite surprised how big their side is. It's a massive, massive, massive team.

"We spoke to our guys, we came back in and said, 'It's got to be the giants versus the runners', and that was the way that we basically set up and spoke to the players about that as a structure.

"On this ground, normally you would think running was the way to go."

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/Season2007/News/NewsArticle/tabid/6301/Default.aspx?newsId=57843