Wallace's worry
Sky News
Updated: 11:16, Thursday August 14, 2008
Richmond coach Terry Wallace admits he faces a difficult decision if Hawthorn decides to repeat its tactic of playing star midfielder Luke Hodge as a spare man in defence on Sunday when the teams clash at the MCG.
Brisbane coach Leigh Matthews was roundly criticised for allowing the Hawks vice-captain to play as a loose man in defence - standing 15 metres in front of the Lions' gun centre-half-forward Jonathan Brown - during last Saturday's match in Tasmania.
As a result not only was Hodge, one of the best users of the ball in the AFL, able to dictate the tempo of the game but he was also able to severely limit Brown's influence during the Hawks' crushing 69-point win.
Hodge not only helped himself to 31 possessions - 25 of which were uncontested - but constantly got in Brown's way, blocking off his leads, and as a result the Lions champ had his worst game of the season with just six possessions and one goal.
It is a tactic the Hawks could well repeat this week against the Tigers and their own champion forward in Matthew Richardson in a game that Richmond must win to keep its finals hopes alive.
However Wallace said it was not a simple matter of just putting another player into the Tigers' attacking zone to mind Hodge, should the Hawks repeat the tactic on Sunday.
'You have got a choice, haven't you,' Wallace said.
'But if you man him (Hodge) up then you open up Buddy (Franklin's) end (of the ground) or you close down Luke but you can't have it both ways.'
Wallace said by automatically sending one of his own players down to mind Hodge in the Tigers' attack, it would mean one less player in Hawthorn's forward line - which could be potentially fatal against the league's best key forward pairing of Franklin and Jarryd Roughead.
Franklin is just nine goals away from becoming the first player since Sydney's Tony Lockett in 1998 to boot 100 goals during the home and away season while Roughead has booted 59 goals for the season.
Wallace said the key to limiting the star pair was to have extra players back in the Hawks' forward line but said you can't do that if you are forced to send a man forward to man up Hodge playing as a spare man in the Tigers' forward line.
'If you want to man up that end (Hodge) then you are making it a one-on-one scenario for their key forwards (Franklin and Roughead) and there are not too many sides that can handle their key forwards on a one-on-one basis, which they have shown all year,' Wallace said.
'So we will have to make the decision which way we go as the week goes on.'
But Wallace is in no doubt as to the size of the task confronting his side, which, even if it beats Hawthorn, has to rely on other results going their way to make the eight.
'They (Hawthorn) are getting back to their best form,' he said.
'They beat another side Brisbane last week, who are around the same spot as us (on the ladder) and also trying to force their way into the eight and they did a fair number on them.'
'So it will be a real test for our boys.'
http://www.skynews.com.au/sport/article.aspx?id=258133
