TonyK
Tash Jayasinghe
CibbuanoTigers primed for finals in '09
August 26th 2008 08:03
RICHMOND is better placed to capitalise on another ninth-placed finish this season in 2009, according to coach Terry Wallace.
The Tigers will finish in ninth place for the sixth time in the 15 seasons since the top eight was first introduced in 1994 if they defeat bottom-placed Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.
Only two of those previous ninth-placed finishes - 1994 and 2000 resulted in finals appearances in the following season, but Wallace is confident the club will be able to build upon this year's ninth-placed finish.
"In most of those years the team had played well early but then faded away and finished ninth," he said.
"But this time around we have done it on the back of young talent and ridden it home (with seven wins in the last 10 matches) in the latter part of the year."
Wallace said the 2008 team could not be compared to the one of 2006, which won the wooden spoon the following season.
"The difference between those two teams is this is more sustainable," he said.
"We did that (in 2006) with the second or third oldest team in the competition and were not able to achieve finals so you would think in that situation you are more likely to go down and up."
"But this time around we have got some good young players and along with Melbourne we had the most players running around in the competition last week with 50 games or less to their names."
Wallace also said the club shouldn't accept anything less than a finals appearance.
"We are on an improving graph and our challenge now is to ensure that continues," he said.
"We are not accepting of ninth place and nor should we be and we have got to start marching up and playing finals footy."
The Tigers will finish in ninth place for the sixth time in the 15 seasons since the top eight was first introduced in 1994 if they defeat bottom-placed Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.
Only two of those previous ninth-placed finishes - 1994 and 2000 resulted in finals appearances in the following season, but Wallace is confident the club will be able to build upon this year's ninth-placed finish.
"In most of those years the team had played well early but then faded away and finished ninth," he said.
"But this time around we have done it on the back of young talent and ridden it home (with seven wins in the last 10 matches) in the latter part of the year."
Wallace said the 2008 team could not be compared to the one of 2006, which won the wooden spoon the following season.
"The difference between those two teams is this is more sustainable," he said.
"We did that (in 2006) with the second or third oldest team in the competition and were not able to achieve finals so you would think in that situation you are more likely to go down and up."
"But this time around we have got some good young players and along with Melbourne we had the most players running around in the competition last week with 50 games or less to their names."
Wallace also said the club shouldn't accept anything less than a finals appearance.
"We are on an improving graph and our challenge now is to ensure that continues," he said.
"We are not accepting of ninth place and nor should we be and we have got to start marching up and playing finals footy."
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