The Serve Grill: Terry Wallace
 There’s a lot of questions Richmond coach Terry Wallace is being asked at the moment. The Serve gets the answers it wants.
The Serve: Terry, good of you to join us, especially given what happened over the weekend.
Terry Wallace: Don’t remind me. Fair dinkum. The umpiring killed us.
TS: What are you talking about? Your side lost by 26 goals.
TW: Oh God no, not us. We were bloody slaughtered! No, I mean in the Melbourne game. Can you believe they got pinged for deliberate out of bounds when they were behind?? That inane decision might cost us a number one draft pick.
TS: Please tell me you’re not going for draft picks already. We’re only up to round six…
TW: Look, we’re not, and I certainly wouldn’t say that even if we were, but we need to make people believe there was a reasonable excuse for why we were so bad. Heaven forbid it’d be because we’re a crap team with no direction.
TS: Is this grand plan of winning a premiership in 2011 just about buying time?T
W: It’s genius isn’t it? Ha. Nah, look, everyone knows that Richmond has forever and a day had a reputation for knifing coaches at the first sign of trouble. I made it clear that we had to change the culture at the Tigers. It’s all about the culture. Remember back to 1995. John Northey won 15 games and got the bullet. Disgraceful. Now, with the input of myself and Greg Miller, we can go 0 and 6 and swindle, whoops, encourage the fans looking four years ahead. Culture.
TS: Critics suggest you’re too pre-occupied with being part of the media. True?
TW: The media is so important. When you’re a borderline club, fighting tooth and nail for exposure, sponsors and memberships, the media has to be exhausted. When you ask people about my time at the Bulldogs, what do you think they remember? Is it 98 when we completely choked in that prelim final against Adelaide, or 99 when we finished fourth and went out in straight sets? Was it four straight losses in finals or that awful final season? Nope, none of the above. They remember me sacking Libba in that Year Of The Dog doco, only to give him a second chance, the fact that I spent as much time on the box as Eddie, and Libba’s missed goal in 97 when he was carried like a baby.
I think I came out of it smelling like roses. You’d have to think using the media had something to do with it.
TS: This will be the third year you’ll fail to take the Tigers to the finals, yet Paul Roos has won a couple of premierships. Would you agree Sydney has been vindicated in allegedly paying you not to coach the Swans in 2003?
TW: Sure, Roosy has won a couple of premierships, but that was the past. Is he thinking about winning with them in the future? Is he aiming to win a flag in 2011, maybe?
TS: Maybe?
TW: Well, you can never be sure. I’m considering revising my plan to 2012 or 2013. Better safe than sorry.
TS: Let’s look at this week against Port Adelaide. Garry Lyon says you should play the same 22 that were pummeled by Geelong…
TW: Garry Lyon. (sigh) Just another typical bloke in the media.
TS: He’s won as many games as you this year.
TW: Yeah, but I’ve got him on percentage.
TS: Thanks for your time.
TW: (whispering) Remember, it’s all about the culture.
Interview may not have happened
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| > | The Grill: Tony Roche | > | The Grill: Candice Falzon |
| > | The Grill: Michael O’Connor | > | The Grill: John Connolly |
| > | The Grill: Terry Wallace | > | The Grill: Malcolm Speed |
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