Author Topic: Media articles & stats: Tigers no match for rampant Dogs  (Read 2475 times)

Offline one-eyed

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Media articles & stats: Tigers no match for rampant Dogs
« on: June 06, 2009, 01:18:09 AM »
Tigers no match for rampant Dogs
richmondfc.com.au
By David Reed 10:22 PM Fri 05 June, 2009

Richmond             4.2  12.2   12.4   14.5 (89)
Western Bulldogs  4.2  11.6  18.10  24.13 (157)

GOALS
Richmond: Morton 3, Riewoldt 3, Pattison 2, Tuck 2, McMahon, Collins, Polo, Deledio
Western Bulldogs: Hill 4, Higgins 3, Picken 2, Hahn 2, Giansiracusa 2, Johnson 2, Gilbee 2, Ward, Akermanis, Boyd, Hargrave, Griffen, Cooney, Eagleton

BEST
Richmond: Jackson, Foley, Newman, Tuck, Collins
Western Bulldogs: Harbrow, Cooney, Picken, Ward, Higgins, Boyd, Johnson

INJURIES
Richmond: Nil
Western Bulldogs: Robert Murphy (hamstring), replaced in the selected side by Brennan Stack

Reports: Nil

Umpires: Chamberlain, Meredith, McInerney
Official crowd: 36,483 at Docklands

-----------------------------------------------------

THE WESTERN Bulldogs have come from behind to spoil a fairytale finish to Terry Wallace’s Richmond coaching career at Docklands on Friday night.

The Tigers led by two points at half time after a brilliant eight-goal burst in the second term.

But they were smashed in the second half and went down 24.13 (157) to 14.5 (89).

The 68-point point loss keeps the Tigers in 15th spot while the Bulldogs remain on track for a top-four finish, sitting third on the ladder.

“That’s modern footy,” Wallace said after the match. “If you can’t hang on to the footy you can’t win.”

Richmond will announce its caretaker coach on Saturday but he’ll start his tenure with a club facing a 2-9 record and have some serious pieces to pick up after last night’s loss.

Friday night’s game went awry for the Tigers during the third term.

Their two-point half-time lead evaporated quickly as the star-studded Dogs, led by Ryan Griffen and Adam Cooney, hit their straps.

They slammed on seven unanswered goals to effectively end what had been an absorbing contest.

The Tigers found themselves behind by 42 points at the last change and needing a final-term miracle that didn’t come.

Richmond was best served by Daniel Jackson, Chris Newman, Joel Bowden, Shane Tuck and Nathan Foley. Andy Collins was also busy in just his eighth senior game of AFL.

The Bulldogs had winners all over the field with Matthew Boyd, Cooney, Daniel Cross, Shaun Higgins and Jarrod Harbrow leading the way.

Griffen also enjoyed an excellent second half to continue his rise towards the competition’s elite and Stephen Tiller and Dale Morris were solid in defence.

Richmond captain Newman set early the tone for the evening with a couple of goal-saving tackles in the opening 10 minutes.

The first tackle stopped youngster Josh Hill as he was about to snap from 15m out; the second was more memorable when he chased down the deadly left-footer Nathan Eagleton as he was about to launch a running shot from 45m.

The bone-jarring Newman tackle set the Tigers on the attack and the move finished with Ben Cousins finding Mitch Morton in the goalsquare.

Morton converted and it was the start of a purple patch for the sandy-haired West Australian.

He added another two goals for the term himself with Jack Riewoldt getting the other goal for the Tigers.

The Dogs matched Richmond’s score exactly with Higgins enjoying his role in the midfield and their ruck duo of Ben Hudson and Will Minson creating some quality clearances that ended in goals.

The high-scoring second quarter was remarkable for the changing fortunes of each side.

The Dogs jumped away with six of the first eight goals of the term to lead by 27 points but with just over five minutes left on the clock, Richmond struck back.

A contested mark and converted set shot to ruckman Adam Pattison was the catalyst for a five-goal run that saw the Tigers leading at the long change.

Jackson’s work in the centre was the inspiration for the fightback and Troy Simmonds found some vigour at the contests as well.

When Riewoldt booted his third goal for the match in the shadow of half time, it gave the Tigers the lead and they ran from the field in high spirits.

However, they must have known they had the job ahead of them against the third-placed Dogs who had several of their stars down on form.

And so it proved.

The next Richmond era starts next week at the same venue against West Coast.

http://www.richmondfc.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/6301/newsid/78332/default.aspx

Offline one-eyed

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Stats: Tigers -v- Dogs
« Reply #1 on: June 06, 2009, 01:43:23 AM »
Team Stats

Disposals:         428 - 384
Efficiency%:        79 - 77
Kicks:               188 - 195
Handballs:         240 - 189
Con. Marks:        14 - 6
Uncon. Marks:     83 - 88
Tackles:              64 - 52
Clearances:         45 - 38
Clangers:            40 - 38
Hitouts:              31 - 42  ( Simmonds 15, Pattison 8 // Minson 22, Hudson 16 )
Frees:                18 - 10
Con. Possies:    123 - 116
Uncon.Possies:  310 - 271 
Inside 50s:         41 - 57
Assists:             12 - 29

Individual Stats

player              D     EFF%  K     H     G     B     CM     UM     T     CL     C 
      
Bowden, J          32    88    16    16    0    0    1    7    3    1    2    
Tuck, S              32    75    13    19    2    0    0    8    2    8    2    
Foley, N              30    70    10    20    0    0    0    1    4    5    3    
Jackson, D          30    73    15    15    0    1    0    8    8    6    4    
Newman, C         25    76    15    10    0    0    1    4    5    1    1    
Collins, A            24    71    8    16    1    0    0    4    1    1    3    
Tambling, R        24    83    13    11    0    0    0    7    2    2    2    
McGuane, L        22    82    8    14    0    0    0    6    2    0    3
Cotchin, T          21    67    10    11    0    0    0    3    1    1    4    
Coughlan, M       21    81    6    15    0    0    0    4    9    3    2    
Cousins, B         21    81    8    13    0    0    0    0    2    4    1    
Pettifer, K          20    65    12    8    0    1    1    4    0    0    3    
McMahon, J        17    94    10    7    1    0    0    3    1    1    0    
Polo, D              17    76    9    8    1    0    0    6    2    1    0    
Thursfield, W     14    93    2    12    0    0    2    2    2    0    2
Deledio, B         13    85    5    8    1    0    2    1    2    4    3    
Simmonds, T     13    77    9    4    0    0    2    1    2    3    3
Morton, M         12    83    4    8    3    0    0    3    3    1    1    
Pattison, A       11    82    4    7    2    0    1    3    3    1    0    
Rance, A          11    91    0    11    0    0    0    2    3    1    1
Moore, K          10    90    4    6    0    0    1    3    1    0    0    
Riewoldt, J         8    75    7    1    3    1    3    3    6    1    0

player            FF     FA     CP     UP     I50     A                
         
Bowden, J         2    0    6    25    1    0               
Tuck, S             2    0    15    15    3    1                
Foley, N             1    2    8    22    5    1               
Jackson, D         1    2    7    24    6    1               
Newman, C        2    0    6    19    2    0               
Collins, A           1    1    6    19    2    0                
Tambling, R        1    1    3    22    3    1                
McGuane, L        0    0    1    20    1    0                
Cotchin, T          4    0    8    13    2    1                
Coughlan, M       0    1    7    14    0    0               
Cousins, B         2    0    8    13    4    1               
Pettifer, K          0    0    3    18    3    0               
McMahon, J        0    0    2    15    1    1                
Polo, D              0    0    5    13    2    0                
Thursfield, W     0    1    4    10    0    0               
Deledio, B          0    0    9    5    0    0               
Simmonds, T      1    1    8    5    3    1               
Morton, M          0    1    5    8    1    2                
Pattison, A         1    0    4    7    0    0               
Rance, A            0    0    2    9    0    0            
Moore, K           0    0    2    9    1    1               
Riewoldt, J         0    0    4    5    1    1

http://superstats.heraldsun.com.au/gamestatslive/5015455.html   

Offline one-eyed

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Wallace's sad reign ends with a whimper (Herald-Sun)
« Reply #2 on: June 06, 2009, 01:59:30 AM »
Wallace's sad reign ends with a whimper
AAP | June 05, 2009 10:31pm

RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace final AFL match in charge has ended with a whimper as his former club the Western Bulldogs stormed to a 68-point win.

The Bulldogs strengthened their hold on a top four berth with the 24.13 (157) to 14.5 (89) victory as they booted 13.7 to 2.3 in the second half at Etihad Stadium.

It gave Wallace his 60th loss from 99 matches at the helm of the Tigers over four-and-a-half seasons.

One of his assistants is to be named as caretaker coach on Saturday.

The Tigers trailed by as much as 27 points 25 minutes into the second term, but poured on five goals in a stunning eight-minute burst to lead 12.2 (74) to 11.6 (72) at the long break.

Mitch Morton and Jack Riewoldt had three goals each for Richmond, Morton kicking all of his in the opening term, with Riewoldt putting his side in front close to halftime.

Bulldogs midfielder-forward Shaun Higgins had three majors.

The two sides were level at 4.2 (26) at the first change before Riewoldt gave Richmond the lead with a quick snap two minutes into the second quarter.

But the Dogs then looked set to run away with the game, kicking six of the next seven goals.

The last four of those came in the space of nine minutes with little trouble and it looked as though the Bulldogs were completely on top.

Higgins gave his side a brief scare when his right knee buckled under him as he marked close to goal midway through the second term and after kicking the goal he was helped to the bench.

But about six minutes later he was back on the ground to score his third, a beautiful piece of play after he delivered the ball from the wing, ran forward to receive it back and slotted the major.

At that stage the Dogs were 27 points up deep into time-on.

But the Tigers' unexpected fightback was sparked by a run of clearances from the centre of the ground, midfielders Nathan Foley and Daniel Jackson both instrumental in quickly sending the ball forward several times.

Ruckman Adam Pattison capitalised with two goals in the onslaught, with Andrew Collins and Shane Tuck also adding majors.

Riewoldt then showed good judgment to comfortably out-mark Tiller and slot his third from 20m to help his side nose ahead at the break.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25594462-5015455,00.html

Offline one-eyed

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Dogs gatecrash Terry Wallace's farewell (Herald-Sun)
« Reply #3 on: June 06, 2009, 02:06:35 AM »
Dogs gatecrash Terry Wallace's farewell
Jon Ralph | June 05, 2009

THE Western Bulldogs tonight gatecrashed Terry Wallace's farewell party with an effortless 68-point win over Richmond at Etihad Stadium.

The Tigers were in the game until half-time, before a seven-goal third-quarter burst by the Bulldogs ended Wallace's reign with yet another defeat.

In the end, Wallace's coaching career ended with a whimper, rather than the bang he might have hoped.

In that crucial third quarter his side was undone by the type of problems that have plagued them throughout Wallace's five years: turnovers, lack of intensity and panicking under pressure.

Wallace finished his career with just 116 wins from his 247 games, this year's struggles bringing his winning percentage down to 46.

It was Wallace's second loss this year to the side he once coached, the Tigers having already been defeated by the Dogs by 47 points in Round 3 this year.

Richmond will announce its caretaker coach for the last 11 games of the season this morning, with Wayne Campbell the warm favourite.

While Richmond had a heap of high possession-getters, they failed to make the most of their periods of dominance for a ten-minute burst late in the first half.

Daniel Jackson, Nathan Foley and Shane Tuck were prolific for Richmond in the midfield, while Ben Cousins continued his recent good form.

But the Dogs collective effort overwhelmed the Tigers, with Adam Cooney in form, Jarrod Harbrow providing dash from defence, and Shaun Higgins kicking three first-half goals.

The game was remarkably flat early, with the crowd late arriving and a palpable sense of anti-climax.

Only the exceptional performance by Richmond captain Chris Newman - with two goal-saving tackles and a eight quality possessions - lifted the mood.

The sides went goal for goal with four majors apiece in the first term before the game suddenly came to life.

First the Dogs kicked four quick goals to spread the margin to 27 points 20 minutes into the term, then the Tigers hit back.

Through the efforts of Foley, Jackson and Cousins, they wrested back control of the game with their own purple patch.

They kicked six of the last seven goals to half-time in a second term that stretched to 36 minutes, Shane Tuck and Adam Pattison both contributing a pair of majors.

But the resistance ended there, the Dogs piling on 7.4 to 0.2 in the crucial third term to win their fourth game in the last five matches this season.


SCOREBOARD:

WESTERN BULLDOGS 4.2 11.6 18.10 24.13 (157)
RICHMOND                 4.2 12.2 12.4 14.5 (89)

Goals: Western Bulldogs: J Hill 4 S Higgins 3 B Johnson 2 D Giansiracusa 2 L Gilbee 2 L Picken 2 M Hahn 2 A Cooney C Ward J Akermanis M Boyd N Eagleton R Griffen R Hargrave. Richmond: J Riewoldt 3 M Morton 3 A Pattison 2 S Tuck 2 A Collins B Deledio D Polo J McMahon. Best: Western Bulldogs: M Boyd L Picken J Harbrow A Cooney S Higgins D Cross. Richmond: D Jackson N Foley J Bowden C Newman S Tuck A Collins.

Umpires: Simon Meredith, Ray Chamberlain, Shane McInerney.

Official Crowd: 36,483 at Etihad Stadium.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25595096-19742,00.html

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Confusing Tigers at erratic worst (Herald-Sun)
« Reply #4 on: June 06, 2009, 02:29:10 AM »
Confusing Tigers at erratic worst
Mark Robinson | June 06, 2009

WEIRD was the theme of the week and it ended accordingly last night.

The Western Bulldogs blew away Richmond, which was not a surprise, but how it happened makes you wonder - again - just what goes on when the Tigers can kick five goals in succession in the second quarter and concede seven in a row in the third term .

Richmond went from being two points up at half-time to losing by 68 points.

Indeed, the Tigers rarely fail to deceive.

Deceptive is not the word to describe coach Terry Wallace's appearance on The Footy Show on Thursday, however.

Confusing maybe. Badly advised. Poorly timed.

For Wallace did himself more harm than good, accepting cash to be asked all the hard questions without giving bang for the buck

If he could not or would not spill any beans, he shouldn't have appeared.

To many, Wallace didn't go near enough to revealing the truth so the intrigue lingers.

Indeed, his farewell game last night created intrigue of itself.

Should he have got it? Was it all about the coach? What purpose did it serve?

Opinions were mixed, but they often are with Wallace.

Certainly, the pre-match musings on all radio stations had former players and coaches, presidents, and commentators arguing the merits of Wallace receiving a golden handshake.

On radio SEN, Luke Darcy was adamant: No way. Perhaps a hint of resentment remains there.

Barring a solid first quarter and electrifying final seven minutes of the second term, the match petered out to a mostly unemotional, unimaginative contest that only attracted 36,483.

Having watched his team again butcher any chance of victory, Wallace shook hands with everyone in his box, made it on to the ground where he did a TV interview with Tim Watson and shook hands with opposition coaches Rodney Eade and Leon Cameron.

He led the team off, kissed his wife and was gone. .

For all the hype of a post-match boo-fest, Wallace's departure from the game after 32 years as a coach and player was kind of like a great movie with a bad ending.

There were no obvious signs of hatred from the Bulldogs, no obvious sign of good riddance from the Tigers.

Suddenly the moment had arrived, and suddenly the credits were rolling.

The biggest roar post-match came when Ryan Hargrave was carried from the ground after playing his 150th.

Of some interest last night, after the Bulldogs stormed away in the third quarter, were comments by wannabe coach Nathan Buckley at half-time.

The Collingwood champ admitted he was interested in the Tigers job - simply because the Tigers job was the only one currently available.

Bucks might've lobbed his little toe in the water, but it's better than no toe at all.

The match itself was familiar to all who follow the Tigers.

It was so Richmond: Desperate, enthusiastic, with over-use of the pill, skill errors and mental lapses.

In the first 15 minutes, Nathan Foley missed a rushed kick for goal, Daniel Jackson missed a goal, Foley had a turnover, Pettifer kicked it out of bounds, McGuane turnover, Deledio dropped mark, Pettifer kicked around corners, Deledio dropped mark and Patterson led and had the ball kicked on his head.

There were others that made errors, but most of the above led to direct turnovers.

What promised to be a shoot-out of sorts didn't disappoint.

Twelve goals to 11 at the half and 38 for the match indicates the want for defensive actions was not quite as it should have been.

Tackles were strong but the gut-busting running to man-up dropped the further the game played out.

The Dogs, who cemented third spot, had strong contributions across the board, perhaps none better than the mercurial Brad Johnson, the dangerously improving Adam Cooney, Shaun Higgins, Matty Boyd and little Liam Picken who did a job on Brett Deledio.

Higgins is magic.

The Tigers once again would say Daniel Jackson and Nathan Foley didn't leave an inch of themselves on the ground, Shane Tuck fought and fought and kicked two goals, Chris Newman threw himself at contest after contest and Andy Collins looks more assured with every outing.

An interesting player is Callan Ward whose career is linked between the Dogs and Tigers.

Ward, who had 17 touches last night, has a bright future.

Not that you have to tell Tigers fans that.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/sport/afl/story/0,26576,25595609-19742,00.html

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No fairytale for Wallace (Age)
« Reply #5 on: June 06, 2009, 04:25:58 AM »
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.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfmatchreport/no-fairytale-for-wallace/2009/06/05/1243708632351.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1

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Familiar story as Wallace bows out (Age)
« Reply #6 on: June 06, 2009, 04:27:08 AM »
Familiar story as Wallace bows out
Dan Silkstone | June 6, 2009

TERRY Wallace's last game was a snapshot of Richmond in his time: always on the brink of something special, rarely achieving it.

The Tigers kicked five goals after the 25-minute mark of the second quarter to turn a 27-point deficit into a half-time lead over the Bulldogs. They left the ground at a jog, the crowd on on its feet, the future full of possibility. The most animated Tiger then was not Wallace, but the man-of-every-moment, Ben Cousins, whose eyes were rolling.

But as quickly as they made the promise, the Tigers reneged on it, kicking two measly goal and allowing the Bulldogs 13 in a shabby second half. Needing inspiration, they could not even produce desperation. When Wallace entered the ground at quarter time, it had been to shouts of encouragement. When he entered at three-quarter time, it was to that most damning of football noises — silence.

The final margin was gaping, 11 goals. There was little disgrace in this — the Bulldogs are contenders — but nor was there redemption. That will be someone else's business.

The beginning was low-key. The crowd was a modest 36,000, Richmond's cheer squad more a detachment. Wallace spent 15 minutes pre-game shaking hands with every one.

They responded graciously: the time for recriminations was past. The run-through wished Wallace "goodbye and good luck", but did not thank him for the memories; there had been too few.

A knot of women on the ground in Bulldogs colours, marking women's round, offered Wallace a smattering of applause, bygones at last bygone. Befitting the Wallace era, there were more rituals in the media than on the ground.

The end was sombre. Defeat, as Richmond fans know all too well, does not have an alibi in any circumstances. There was one more television interview, handshakes from Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade and Leon Cameron, a few boos from Bulldogs fans, then applause from all, as hasty an exit as dignity permitted.

Anything more elaborate would have rung false.

So Wallace bowed out of frontline football. As a player, he was straightforward, honest. As a coach, he pulled tricks. When they worked, he was called ingenious. When they didn't, he was thought too clever by half. Last night, he had no more. In any case, his tricks could only ever be as good as the players he had to perform them. Last night's face out and thrashing suggests that the Tigers are as lacking in them as ever.

Wallace effected changes to the game, but he didn't change the game in the only way that lasts, by winning the premiership. But the game in his time changed in a particular way: it made celebrities of all, which was why Wallace — a great but not champion player, a good but not great coach — was piped out last night with full honours.

For Wallace, player and coach, for most of the last 31½ years — the half tells its own abrupt tale — there was always next week. This morning, for better or worse, there isn't.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/familiar-story-as-wallace-bows-out/2009/06/05/1243708632357.html

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Death of a salesman as departing Tiger takes a licking (Age)
« Reply #7 on: June 06, 2009, 04:28:10 AM »
Death of a salesman as departing Tiger takes a licking
June 6, 2009

TERRY Wallace is not Leigh Matthews — though he beat him out for two best and fairests at Hawthorn. He has not coached four premiership sides, or muscled his way into legend status. But Wallace has enjoyed a farewell this week and last night to put Matthews' departure to shame.

The reasons for this are fascinating. Matthews is a legend; Wallace has been an excellent player — four best and fairests at three clubs attest to that. He has been a very good coach but more than that, he has been an exceptional communicator. This past week, this whole season, has proved Arthur Miller right. There is nothing quite so dramatic as the death of a salesman. "It's been a long couple of months," he said last night after it ended with a thrashing, a handshake from old teammate Rodney Eade and a warm ovation from Bulldog and Tiger fans alike as he led his team up the race. "It's a difficult time in your life but I love the game, the game's been fantastic to me."

Football has been more interesting for having Wallace around. Last night, 36,483 came to see him off. "Thanks mate" said the Richmond banner. This after a barren 4½ year period. It was not so much eat 'em alive as lick them gently until they wander off.

Still he was selling right to the end. An effusive question-and-answer session at the president's dinner pre-game, then a live radio interview minutes before the bounce. Sell, sell, sell. All week he had said he would not coach again. He knew it was what everyone was thinking, every salesman can sniff the breeze.

Asked how he would be judged by history, Wallace gave an interesting response. "Not everyone's going to love you and what you do but I think we'll get bums on seats tonight." He has always been the sort of coach who thought as much about bums on seats as he did about one-on-ones. Perhaps only Kevin Sheedy has so perfectly grasped the possibilities for mass communication that comes with senior coaching. But Sheedy also won premierships.

There was something incommensurate about the scale of his farewell and the level of his achievements and yet most were happy that he got it. Partly this may have been because of the way he had been treated this year and the good humour with which he endured it. Before the match he went to the Tiger cheer squad and shook their hands. A fortnight ago they wanted him sacked, suddenly they were cheering him.

The build-up was great, the result a fizzer. Richmond came out hard. But slick words and creative structure cannot mask shoddy skills for long.

Early in the second, as they dominated possession but could not get ahead, the cameras cut to the coach's box. Inside, Wallace chewed his fingers like a man coaching for his life. Asked beforehand about the highpoints of a career spanning three decades he had answered "the winning, it's a winning game". He wanted one last win as much as any he had ever wanted.

There was time for one fightback. The Dogs got a roll on and snagged eight of the next nine as the match opened up. Richmond somehow rallied — booting five on the trot.

In the second half the Tigers simply folded, their early competitiveness forgotten as it rained Bulldog goals. At three-quarter-time Wayne Campbell ran onto the field, a picture of vigour — Wallace strolled metres behind. Campbell, expected to be named caretaker today, assembled the players and urged them onwards while Wallace stood off to the side, working the whiteboard.

Asked how he would spend today, Wallace said he might have a punt on the horses. If you see him in the TAB, take care. Whatever Wallace is backing he'll make it sound like a winner. But, in life and in football, it doesn't always turn out that way.

http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/rfnews/death-of-a-salesman/2009/06/05/1243708632354.html

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Wallace's coaching days are over ... maybe (Age)
« Reply #8 on: June 06, 2009, 04:35:08 AM »
Wallace's coaching days are over ... maybe
Martin Boulton | June 6, 2009

LESS than an hour before his final game as Richmond coach, Terry Wallace left the door slightly ajar to one day coach another club.

On Monday Wallace reached a mutual decision with the Tigers to finish up midway through the fifth and final year of his contract.

"You don't start dreaming about things that aren't going to happen," he told 3AW last night, before adding, "If someone knocks on your door, you are going to talk to them."

Wallace earlier told guests at the official Richmond pre-game dinner he wanted to "stay involved in footy in some capacity", but it was "no problem" if that did not involve coaching. "I'm not sure what form my next direction will take, but certainly I want to stay in footy because I love footy.

"I'm not going to the gallows, the sun will come up tomorrow and life will go on."

He said he was looking forward to spending more time with his family and was proud of his achievements in the game.

"I've always been somebody that (wanted) to bring the game closer to the people, whether that was people at the game or people watching the game at home. It's football, but it's also sports entertainment and we need bums on seats.

"When I arrived on the scene as a coach there were so many taboos in relation to people speaking to media and opening up the club to media.

"I just thought there was so much more we could do for the game and (what) the game had to offer people watching at home."

The 50-year-old, who was involved in 501 games as a player and coach, said it was "a young person's game" and football at the elite level was continually evolving.

His Punt Road replacement will be announced today.

"I got my opportunities and someone (at) this club will get their opportunity, someone next season will get another opportunity to take the helm and take it further," Wallace said. "I don't have any regrets, I got my chances."

Richmond president Gary March said it was a sad night and Wallace had been a great contributor to football.

"It's sometimes overlooked, the contribution that Terry Wallace has made to the game, and it shouldn't be overlooked," March said.

"He's a three-time All-Australian player, he's an All-Australian coach, a four-time best-and-fairest winner at two clubs, he's a life member of the AFL, Hawthorn and the Western Bulldogs … it's a fantastic achievement."

With DAN SILKSTONE

http://www.theage.com.au/news/rfnews/wallaces-coaching-days-are-over--maybe/2009/06/05/1243708628133.html