It's decision time at Punt Road

Richmond Coach Terry Wallace addresses his players during the AFL Round 14 match between the Richmond Tigers and the Carlton Blues at the MCG. GSP Images

What to do next with coach Terry Wallace is only one of the questions confronting the Richmond board in coming weeks. There’s no question the Tigers have underperformed this year, and you have to wonder about this position for the club going forward.

This was supposed to be the year Richmond stepped up.

Ben Cousins or no Ben Cousins, the promise shown last year (with the club once again rising to ninth, of all places) hinted that a move into the top eight was at last possible.

Many pundits, myself included, had them pencilled in for September action in ’09.

A tough draw early on didn’t help their cause. A new Hawthorn-esque rolling zone was never going to be completely conformed to overnight. A few injuries here and there on top of that – and no, this is not solely a Cousins reference – provided another setback.

But seriously, can that justify the results so far? Can that justify the performance against lowly Melbourne, the side that claimed last year’s wooden spoon?

The players were woeful on Sunday. They were missing targets and turning the ball over with frustrating frequency.

It wasn’t the sort of match Wallace needed to answer his critics.

Now, it’s no longer a matter of if he’s on the way out, but when.

One thing’s for sure: once that decision is made, the club must decide which one of two directions they are going to head in.

They can either conclude that the playing list hasn’t got what it takes to go deep into September and clear out the older players, or they can stay true to the list on the notion that the pre-season hype was justified and that last year’s improvement had substance.

Talk about a tough decision.

Richmond’s best player this year has been Matthew Richardson, and he’s 34. There are five other players on the list over 30.

Getting rid of some or all these guys could prove detrimental. It certainly would ensure a few more years in the bottom eight. Not to mention the obvious troubles with selling another re-building phase to Tiger fans.

But you can’t help but be equally sceptical about continuing with the status quo, given the players’ efforts in weeks gone by.

It must also be remembered that the clock is ticking with the older guys, and it will take time for the Tigers to head deep in September, if they are to get there at all. Logic says the older guys will be gone by then anyway.

This is what the folks at Punt Road must now wrestle with.

And it’s a critical debate, too. The direction they choose to head in may have a strong bearing on any choice of replacement for Wallace.

The last thing they’d want to do is throw a young coach in the deep end and expect results straight up, á la St Kilda in Ross Lyon’s first season.

For the sake of future success, they need to figure it out sooner rather than later.