Former Richmond coach Terry Wallace says the Tigers lack of match practice could prove to their biggest obstacle in tomorrow’s preliminary final against Greater Western Sydney.
The clash that could see the club make their first Grand Final in 35 years will be just their second in the last 26 days, courtesy of the pre-finals bye and a further week off after defeating Geelong.
Wallace says a poor start would make expectation and pressure even greater.
“The 26 day break with one game does concern me,” Wallace said on SEN’s Before the Games.
“If they’re just a little bit off with their touch early in the game and the pressure is high and that outside run can get going for GWS, in a blink of an eye you can be four goals behind.
“That’s the last thing that Richmond want because there’s going to be an expectation and a pressure on them if things don’t work out well.”
He recalled his own experiences in coaching Preliminary Finals at the Western Bulldogs, in where he admitted his team were mentally shot once challenged, after being expected to win against Adelaide, and is hoping Richmond don’t fall to the same fate.
“With the two preliminary finals I coached with the Western Bulldogs. The first one we lost by two points, had plenty of opportunity; no drama,” Wallace said.
“The next time we met up against Adelaide, every man and their dog thought it was our turn to get them back, this retribution from last year etc.
“When it didn’t happen the way that they hoped it did and the other side came with a real challenge, mentally our guys were gone.
“My worry about Richmond is there’s this big, huge build up, if it comes off the back of some early success, no problem. If it flips the other way around, to fight back it makes it really tough.”
Wallace has tipped the Yellow and Black army to be celebrating after what he expects to be the closer of the two preliminary finals.