No fairytale for Wallace
Michael Gleeson | June 6, 2009
IT WAS the farewell Terry Wallace requested, but not the one he hoped for. It was, however, the one the Western Bulldogs were eager to deliver.
The final game of Wallace's AFL coaching career ended in a 68-point hammering from the Bulldogs.
Richmond played well for one half and poorly for another. Having claimed a narrow half-time lead, the Tigers entered the second half with a belief and purpose that was quickly extinguished, as the Bulldogs first closed them down behind the ball then blitzed them at the other end, booting an impressive 24 goals for the night.
From half-time the Dogs kicked 13 goals to two.
If it was poetic that Terry Wallace's final coaching game was against the side he coached in his first game, the irony was that his side's first three goals were kicked by a man who was linked to events that precipitated the first serious discussions about his future in the job.
While a post-match Wallace outburst, directed at Mitch Morton for silly play at the end of the Port Adelaide loss, did not alone cause a rift which ultimately made his job untenable, it didn't help.
Richmond looked lively early last night, with Daniel Jackson and, to a lesser extent, Nathan Foley and Mark Coughlan offering supply through the middle.
Jackson, as a tagger, initially on Adam Cooney, was creating enough worry for the Bulldogs that their own run-with man, Daniel Cross, was moved onto him.
The game began in slightly unorthodox fashion, with Richmond constructing an unexpected forward structure — a tactical swansong of sorts from Wallace. Regular full-back Kel Moore lined up on the Dogs' full-back Brian Lake, and Brett Deledio, who has been giving the side much of its run from half-back, was nominally located at centre half-forward.
Liam Picken not only opposed him, he shook him apart with a performance that was defining for the night.
Richmond had greater run but was frustrated translating that into a score, while the Bulldogs began with a surprising complacency — odd given the beginning they had against Sydney last week.
The term ended on even terms, but the Bulldogs began to ease the game away from the Tigers in the second quarter.
Matthew Boyd was found with a pass across goal first, then space opened up for Ryan Hargrave to walk through, and Shaun Higgins and Lindsay Gilbee followed and suddenly the Dogs had put on five goals and stretched the lead out to 27 points.
It was seemingly a game-breaking period.
Creditably, there was fight in the Tigers. Physically, they were unbowed and willing to be willing in the contest and off it when the spite between the sides spilt over.
Shane Tuck was central to their fight. He received a handball from Morton to goal and a melee ensued. It was of no real consequence other than it appeared to enliven the Tigers.
At the boundary, Ben Cousins was out of his seat and screaming at his teammates in gospel-preacher fashion.
Adam Pattison was singled out with words of encouragement and the ruckman responded immediately, surging onto the ground and stretching high for a mark and converting a goal.
All the while Cousins was calling to his teammates that this was the moment to make a stand and stop the rot.
Five goals in eight minutes and the Tigers had heeded the call. At least for a time.
The rot set in in the third term. The Bulldogs ratcheted up the pressure, lifting their intensity and tackling and choking the fight out of the Tigers.
Ryan Griffin, quiet in the first half, was important, and Jarrod Harbrow in the back pocket was tremendous, streaming from behind the ball as the Dogs kicked seven goals to the Tigers' humble two behinds.
The Bulldogs had an extraordinary 14 goalkickers as they zoned the Tigers into frustration in defence and pressured them repeatedly into turnovers which were rapidly capitalised on.
Deledio, shaded into insignificance by Picken in the first half as a forward, was shifted to defence and humbled further when Picken slipped free to boot two goals.
Of comfort to the Tigers was the continued improvement in the maligned Richard Tambling, who appeared comfortable in a role behind the ball, running off half-back.
WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.2 11.6 18.10 24.13 (157)
RICHMOND 4.2 12.2 12.4 14.5 (89)
GOALS: Western Bulldogs: Hill 4, Higgins 3, Johnson 2, Hahn 2, Gilbee 2, Giansiracusa 2, Picken 2, Boyd, Eagleton, Ward, Griffen, Cooney, Akermanis, Hargrave. Richmond: Riewoldt 3, Morton 3, Tuck 2, Pattison 2, Deledio, McMahon, Polo, Collins
BEST: Western Bulldogs: Harbrow, Boyd, Picken, Johnson, Ward, Griffin, Eagleton, Higgins. Richmond: Jackson, Newman, Cousins, Foley, Tambling, Morton, Tuck.
INJURIES: Western Bulldogs: Murphy (replaced in selected side by Stack). Richmond: Nil
UMPIRES: Chamberlain, Meredith, McInerney.
CROWD: 36,483
MAIN MEN
Terry Wallace and Rodney Eade share a long history. During the week Eade said his former teammate's last game as a coach "shouldn't really affect anything" and it was the Dogs who turned the screws when it counted last night.
TURNING POINT
Trailing by 27 points in the second term Richmond struck back with two goals to Adam Pattison, a clever snap from Andrew Collins and a set-shot goal to Shane Tuck. Suddenly the margin was three points and when Jack Riewoldt kicked his third just before half-time the Tigers threatened to steal an unlikely win. Two behinds in the third term and the threat was over.
THE UPSHOT
Wallace joins the ranks of ex-coaches, albeit one of just 17 with 500 games as a player and coach. The Tigers head into the second half of the season with two wins and a fill-in coach, while the Bulldogs' win strengthens the club's grip in the top half of the ladder.
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