Wallace credits courage in win
richmondfc.com.au
By Matt Brown 12:55 AM Sun 31 May, 2009
RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace said the courage of his players was crucial in helping them crawl over the line against Fremantle at Subiaco Oval on Saturday night.
After kicking eight goals without reply in the third quarter, the Tigers held a 33-point advantage but Fremantle stormed back to grab the lead late in the final term.
It took a Mitch Morton goal to get the Tigers back in front and they dug in for a desperate three minutes to close the game.
The win – which came in Wallace's 500th AFL game as a player and coach – provided some relief for him after the relentless pressure of the past month.
But he was back on the defensive after it emerged recruit Ben Cousins had made a hand gesture to television cameras in the rooms before the game.
Wallace brushed off the issue saying he had not seen the incident and was happy just to provide a rare moment of joy for Richmond fans.
"The game ebbed and flowed all night," he said.
"They (Fremantle) took the initiative early in the game [but] throughout the second quarter we certainly worked our way back in.
"I said to our guys at half time that I thought we should have been at least equal if not in front.
"Then we got our contested footy going in the third quarter and I thought that was the one determining factor that impacted the game."
Wallace acknowledged Fremantle's efforts in the contests and its ability to find three goals late in the third term to cut the margin to 15 points at the final change.
"Then when it gets down to the final stages it’s just courageous acts and, like the opposition did, we just had some guys who really put their bodies on the line and did some fantastic things for the club to get a win," Wallace said.
He added that his side deserved the win and that everyone involved with the club should share the celebrations.
"If you come to work every single day and you’re working your guts out and you’re getting kicked all the time, it’s pretty tough," he said.
"I think the emotion you saw in the room was just them enjoying what they do and we haven’t had a lot of enjoyment in that area so far this year.
"The only thing I was really looking for today was to put a few smiles back on some people’s faces around Punt Road, most particularly the playing group and the management, the staff and the board – the people who are at the work face.
"But also our supporter base and other people who have really done it tough around the place. That’s what it was more about. It was just more about having some relief for some people who have worked very, very hard."
Wallace said the speculation surrounding his future had been tough but he hoped to be coaching next week against his former club, the Western Bulldogs.
He revealed at a press conference in Perth on Friday afternoon that he would not be coaching in 2010.
"It’s a hard game and it’s a hard competition," he said.
"I enjoy every game I’m involved in. You can be assured of that. This is a fantastic game.
"It might have been my 500th but it was just as much fun as my first."
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