Tigers tackle training with renewed zest
9:59:33 AM Thu 16 December, 2004
By Richmond coach Terry Wallace
richmondfc.com.au
We are now in our last week of pre-season training at Richmond before the Christmas break, with some of the players having already trained for about three months. Although the time has flown, I believe we have achieved significant improvement, both to our playing list and in our method of play.
When I first arrived at the Club, the playing group was extremely quiet, shell-shocked and lacking in self-confidence. Now, however, they are starting to regain faith in their ability to play top-level football, and have more confidence in their teammates.
From a list structure perspective, we believe the Club has been able to make some gains which will have an immediate impact in 2005. Securing seasoned league players in Mark Graham, Troy Simmonds and Trent Knobel has not only helped the depth of the senior playing list, but has also added some valuable experience to what is a very young squad. It was always the football department’s intention to become more competitive in the short term, while developing a long-term strategy with quality youth from the national draft, who will go on and become great players for the Richmond Football Club over a long, sustained period of time.
From a rookie list standpoint, Nathan Foley has been ‘re-rookied’ to the Club after a strong season with the Coburg Tigers in the VFL this year, and in the rookie draft we picked up Sandringham Dragons’ youngster, Will Thursfield, with the first selection. Will is an athletic defender who can play in a variety of positions. He has been in the elite system for only a short period of time and needs to develop his body, but he undoubtedly shows promise for the future.
The Tiger players have taken on our new training structure and accepted it very well. The training regime is very much game-based and designed to encourage players to train as they would play, with many modified games and decision-making activities integrated into the program.
Both Brian Royal and David Wheadon have worked extremely hard on the players’ skill development, which has always been the key criteria in my coaching, and it is outstanding that the Club could provide two such excellent teachers to raise the bar of expectation in this region.
David King and Steven Alessio have been a breath of fresh air at the Club, with David’s extroverted nature bringing some much-needed life to Punt Road. It’s also been a top effort by our match committee member, Gordon Casey, to organise long-service leave from his work, so that he could have a full understanding and knowledge of the playing group before Christmas. This automatically shows how committed he is to his new position.
Everyone within the football department – strength and conditioning, medical and administration – has worked extremely hard to have an immediate impact on the culture of the playing group.
This is only the first step in what will be a long journey to rejuvenate the Richmond Football Club, but as senior coach I feel very pleased with how much has changed in such a short time.
The group will rest up over a two-week Christmas break and, upon return, we will have our eyes firmly fixed on the Wizard Cup but, more particularly, Geelong in the opening round of the 2005 season . . .
