Tiger rifts widen despite easy win
Jon Ralph | September 01, 2008
RICHMOND yesterday had the gloss stripped from its 80-point win over Melbourne by the fallout from continuing tensions between coach Terry Wallace and president Gary March.
The Tigers capped an impressive season by notching their eighth victory of the past 11 games, their record in that period eclipsed only by Geelong.
Wallace said yesterday the finish to the year showed the club was "locked and loaded" to challenge next year, despite finishing ninth again this season.
But March rated the club's season only a five out of 10 on Triple M pre-match, as he revealed the club had set a deadline of June next year to assess Wallace's future.
Wallace, who was shocked mid-year when football director Greg Miller was sacked by the Richmond board, described March's rating as "harsh".
Wallace was clearly upset with March's appraisal - he felt the season was worth was at least 6 1/2 - and the coach was also bemused by the lack of consultation over the appointment of a new director of football.
It came as he also implored the Richmond board to approve a bid for a big fish in trade week to help set up a tilt at the top eight.
In turn, March said all list-management decisions would be made by recruiting manager Craig Cameron, the implication being Wallace should not have much power in that process.
It was a messy end to a season full of progress for Richmond, so clinical and effective yesterday against Melbourne.
Only last year the club was in a similar position, but turned a 3 1/2-win, wooden-spoon year into 11 1/2 victories in Wallace's best season with the club.
Wallace remains bullish about Richmond's progress, especially as the improvement has come from the club's younger players.
"We will take ninth. Ninth is where we are at," he said.
"We believe that this time around it's a strong ninth. At times we have had a reasonable start and fallen away, and with a more senior side than this year. There are some pleasing signs."
March was not so confident: "(It was) probably a five out of 10, if we are being really honest with ourselves and where we are at. We beat everyone we should beat, but we didn't beat any of the sides above us, really, apart from Hawthorn, which was our best win of the year.
"We are pleased we have improved, but we still have a long way to go."
March said Wallace was comfortable with a June deadline to begin talks on whether the coach would be re-hired or fired.
"We will sit down in June next year, we will make a decision in July and we will make that in conjunction with Terry Wallace. We won't announce it before that," March said.
Wallace has said he will not trade for players simply because it could be his last year, but will consider it if a player is available in the right age bracket.
"Decisions have to be made there and they are not all my decisions," he said.
"I am just hopeful the club gives us an opportunity.
"We are now locked and loaded and ready to be able to really put in some form of challenge going into next year.
"Do we go into the marketplace? You would like it to be a footy decision, but that's not always the case."
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