Terry Wallace

Infobox afl player NEW
playername = Terry Wallace
fullname = Terry Wallace
image capt = Terry Wallace


birthdate = Birth date and age|1958|12|13|df=y
birthplace = Victoria
originalteam = Camberwell (VFA)
draftpick = "Undrafted"
heightweight =
position = Midfielder
dead = alive
deathdate =
deathplace =
currentclub = "Retired"
guernsey =
years = 1978-1986
1987
1988-1991
Total
clubs = Hawthorn
Richmond
Footscray
games(goals) = 174 (96)
11 (7)
69 (20)
250 (123)
coach = coach
coachyears = 1996-2002
2005-
coachclubs = AFL WB
AFL Ric
coachgames(wins) = 148 (79)
74 (26)
statsend = Round 8, 2008
careerhighlights =
AFL
*Hawthorn Premiership Player 1978, 1983, 1986
*Hawthorn Best and Fairest 1981, 1983
*Interstate Games:- 3
*Footscray Best and Fairest 1988, 1989
*Interstate Games:- 1
*All Australian: 1988
*Footscray Reserves Coach 1992-1995
*Footscray Reserves Premiership Coach 1994

Terry Wallace (born 13 December 1958) was an Australian rules football centre position player who started at Hawthorn, played briefly at Richmond and finally at Footscray.

As coach, he took the Western Bulldogs from 15th in 1996 to 3rd in 1997 and 1998. Wallace employed a number of novel ideas as coach including warming up the side on the field before the match.

Wallace was linked to the Sydney Swans job in mid-2002 when Rodney Eade was sacked following a narrow round 12 loss to Geelong. But during an interview in late 2002 Wallace was not given the Swans job and it went to then-interim coach Paul Roos by order from fans. Wallace had already resigned as coach of the Bulldogs. However, it was rumoured he had been given a verbal notification that the Swans would put him on as coach for season 2003.

During the period Wallace didn't coach, he became a prominent media personality with roles on the defunct Fox Footy channel, and columns in Melbourne newspaper the Herald Sun (he still maintains this commitment).

In August 2004, he was appointed Senior Coach of Richmond for the next five seasons from 2005, replacing Danny Frawley.

Playing career

Wallce was Hawthorn's centreman from the late 1970s through the 1980s. Recruited from VFA club Camberwell, he was a member of Hawthorn's 1978 premiership side in what was his debut season. Nicknamed 'Plough' for his knack of crashing through packs, Wallace was a Best and fairest winner in 1981 and 1983, the latter in another premiership year. He played in one further premiership side at Hawthorn, in 1986. Often polling well in the Brownlow Medal counts, Wallace finished equal third in 1982 and equal sixth in 1983.

After a contractual dispute with Hawthorn Wallace received a clearance to Richmond but struggled in his only season with the club, eventually ending the year prematurely with a back injury. He finished his playing career with four seasons at Footscray which yielded back to back Charles Sutton Medals in 1988 and 1989.

Coaching career

Western Bulldogs

In the middle of the 1996 AFL season he took over as Western Bulldogs coach following the sacking of incumbent coach Allan Joyce with the Bulldogs struggling. At the end of the 1996 season they finished 15th. In the 1997 season Wallace quickly rebuilt the side, finishing 3rd at the end of the season. In the first qualifying final they defeated Sydney however, they lost in the preliminary final to Adelaide. In 1998 the Bulldogs finished 2nd at the end of the season. In the qualifying final they defeated the West Coast Eagles but lost in the preliminary finals to Adelaide for the second year in a row.

In the 1999 AFL season season Wallace led the Bulldogs to 4th at the end of the season but in the qualifying final they lost to West Coast then in the semi finals they lost to the Brisbane Lions. In the 2000 AFL season, the Bulldogs finished 7th but in the elimination final they were knocked out by the Brisbane Lions. During this season, the Bulldogs were the only team to defeat Essendon as Wallace employed "keepings off" tactics. In the 2001 AFL season the Bulldogs struggled and finished 10th and they kept on struggling the next season. Wallace resigned as Bulldogs coach at the end of the 2002 season with one match left to go, which Peter Rohde coached and was eventually employed full time.

Richmond

In August 2004, he was appointed Senior Coach of Richmond for the next five seasons from 2005, replacing Danny Frawley.

2005 Season

His first year at Ricmond was unsuccessful where they finished 12th at the end of the 2005 season. This, despite the fact they spent most of the first half of the season in the top eight, most of that in the top four.

2006 Season

The Tigers had a terrible start to 2006, and were written off early in the season with three straight crushing defeats, placing them at the bottom of the ladder. But Wallace turned the team around surprisingly, winning five out of the next seven games, including a win against the Adelaide Crows, who were on top of the AFL ladder at the time, but he didn't do enough to make the finals, just missing out and finishing 9th at the end of the 2006 season.

Many peopleWho|date=October 2008 claim it was the worst football game ever with it being likened to a 90-minute keep-away. Wallace instructed his 10th placed Tigers to retain possession of the ball at all times, racking up a record high 183 uncontested marks in the game.

2007 Season

The 2007 AFL Season proved to be Wallace's worst at any club. His side failed to eventuate preseason expectation of a top 8 finish, as his side finished 16th (last) for the wooden spoon.

However the final position was deceptive, as the Tigers lost the first 5 games of the season all under 25 points, and maintained leads in many of those games going into the final quarter.

However in round 6 the Tigers were thumped by eventual premiers Geelong at the Telstra Dome by a record margin of 157 points. This subsequently led to Board and Management formally apologize to fans at Wallace's "Tuesdays with Terry" press conference.

Wallace is now under serious pressureFact|date=October 2008—considering he took the reins of a last placed (wooden spoon) side and coached them to another last place in the third year of his "5-year plan".

2008 Season

The 2008 season has been dubbed as a vital year for Wallace in relation to his future at the Club.Fact|date=October 2008 Hot Prospect Brett Deledio recently said that the Club had to make the top 8 at all costs in order to repay faith shown by supporters.

The 2008 season was a big improvement with Richmond starting off with a win over Carlton in round one. But he just didn't do enough to make the finals with Richmond finishing 9th at the end of the 2008 season with eleven wins, ten losses and one draw. The Richmond football club have stated that in the 2009 season, with Wallace's final year on his contract that they make the finals, if they don't make the finals at the end of the 2009 season, they won't renew Wallace's contract.

References

*AflRleague|ref=T/Terry_Wallace.html
* Hogan P: "The Tigers Of Old" , Richmond FC, Melbourne 1996
* Holmesby, Russel and Main, Jim (2007). "The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers". 7th ed. Melbourne: Bas Publishing.