Richmond Coach Terry Wallace leaves the three quarter time huddle during the AFL Round 04 match between the Richmond Tigers and the Melbourne Demons at the MCG. Slattery Images
Terry Wallace will coach his final game for Richmond, ironically, against the Western Bulldogs this Friday night. Many say his career has been unsuccessful, reminding us of Wallace’s five-year stint at the Tigers where his winning percentage stands at 38 percent.
At the Western Bulldogs it was 53 percent. Overall, he has a 47 percent win-loss ratio.
Of the current coaches, Wallace has a better overall record than Matthew Knights, Brett Ratten, Mark Harvey and Dean Bailey.
But are statistics all that matter?
Tigers fans who have watched their team fumble their way through games shouldn’t lay all the blame on Wallace’s shoulders. Remember, he did steer the Dogs to four finals series in succession in his time at the Kennel.
Given the club’s history, it was a golden run.
We generally judge a coach on Premierships and their win-loss ratio. Wallace fails on both counts.
But how do we compare him to former St Kilda coach Grant Thomas?
Thomas was highly regarded, but his winning record just shades Wallace. Thomas has no flags to his name, either.
However, the team he was in charge of had the potential to go much further than the current Richmond team.
Wallace will probably never coach again. But his turbulent time at Richmond this season should not be all he is remembered for.
He is famous for introducing pre-game warm-ups on the ground, which has become commonplace today. He also allowed the cameras to go into uncharted territory to film The Year of the Dog in 1996.
Then there was the game in 2000 when he put the defensive “flood” on Essendon to end its 20-game winning run.
Now that Wallace is gone, there are a number of Tigers players who should follow at the end of the season.
Everyone believes Richmond should recruit the best kids, build from the bottom, and dispense of its half-dozen players over the age of 30.
But, you can’t clean-out everyone and simply have the attitude to “play the kids.” Otherwise the team will get belted more severely than it has this year.
Yes, Richmond’s recruiting record has been haphazard under Wallace. But the mess should not be blamed solely on him.
He exited in a dignified manner and while he may not have the best coaching record, if you haven’t got the cattle, you won’t go far.
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