How good was....Terry Wallace? And why the nickname "Plough"?

[Dry Rot]

Terry Wallace is one of my favourite Dogs coaches, but I know bugger all about his playing career.

I know he couldn't coach us past a prelim, but he managed to get us up for wins against the odds so many times during the H&A season.

Was he any good as a player? What position did he play and what current player is most like him?

And what's with the name Plough?

[Mofra]

Beast of a player - I only really remember a few games at WO where he seemed built for muddy conditions (hence the nickname Plough).
I know his coaching stint with us didn't end well but I have a soft spot for him. He did go a long way to changing the culture of the place during his time with us. Pretty sure his kids are doggies fans too.

[GVGjr]

He certainly had a 'me first' approach as a player which wasn't as noticeable across the playing group then like it is now
He left Hawthorn because they played him as a HBF in a final which sort of confirms he liked things on his terms.
I can remember him wearing spurs attached to his boots around the club and he purchased a sun bed to maintain the tan
Left Richmond after one season because Maurice Rioli was going to be the prime midfielder
Very imaged focused

As a footballer though he was a great midfielder albeit with limited kicking skills. Hard working, a bit slow and tireless hence the Plough nickname. He knew his limitations and played within them

Innovative coach who challenged the status quo. Loved recruiting players with pace and kicking skills which ironically he didn't poses those qualities as a footballer.

He played a leading role in the demise of Alan Joyce rallying the players and I'd like him to fess up on his departure from us regarding the Sydney job. He seems determined not to spill the beans on that

I talked to him at the East meets West function three or four years ago and he's always up for a talk

[bornadog]

Terry was a tough inside mid who had a great career at both the Hawks and us. At the Hawks he played in three premierships and I think he also represented the Vics in state footy. At the Bulldogs he won two best and fairest awards before going on to coaching.

As for who he is similar to in modern footy, I would say a Josh Kennedy type. Ploughs style of footy is almost lost as it has been umpired out of existence. Players are now afraid of giving a free kick when they dive on the ball, and you can bet Plough was always at the bottom of the pack.

[Rocket Science]

He certainly had a 'me first' approach as a player which wasn't as noticeable across the playing group then like it is now
He left Hawthorn because they played him as a HBF in a final which sort of confirms he liked things on his terms.
I can remember him wearing spurs attached to his boots around the club and he purchased a sun bed to maintain the tan
Left Richmond after one season because Maurice Rioli was going to be the prime midfielder
Very imaged focused

As a footballer though he was a great midfielder albeit with limited kicking skills. Hard working, a bit slow and tireless hence the Plough nickname. He knew his limitations and played within them

Innovative coach who challenged the status quo. Loved recruiting players with pace and kicking skills which ironically he didn't poses those qualities as a footballer.

He played a leading role in the demise of Alan Joyce rallying the players and I'd like him to fess up on his departure from us regarding the Sydney job. He seems determined not to spill the beans on that

I talked to him at the East meets West function three or four years ago and he's always up for a talk

Oh yeah? Says who?

https://i.ibb.co/XLXTY7s/Screen-Shot-2020-05-26-at-9-47-13-AM.png (https://ibb.co/pw2phfz)

Renaissance-man stylings aside, he was the Oxford definition of a 'ball magnet'.

[Twodogs]

In 1985 we played Hawthorn in driving rain at Whitten oval and Steve McPherson kicked the winning goal with a couple of minutes to go. Plough was still at Hawthorn and as far as he was concerned Hawthorn were going to win or he was going to die trying. He threw himself onto the ball, he was at the bottom of every pack-he was a man on a mission.

On time he was laying on the ground, he drew the ball in and about half a dozen Footscray players fell onto his back, at the time it was an obvious free kick but the umpire (I think he was well aware he was in front of a rabid Footscray crowd) just signaled for a ball up. Terry looked up at him and punched the ground 3 or 4 times. If it weren't so wet I would swear their were tears of frustration in his eyes. I've never usually seen a player who wanted the ball as much as Plough wanted it but that day he was manic.

There used to be footage on YouTube but it's no longer there.

[Twodogs]

Terry just loves footy. I sort of know his right hand man, a bloke called Oberon Pirak because I am great mates with Oberon's daughter. Anyway one day not long after Footscray started playing VFL at Whitten oval I was picking my through the crowd on the member's stand wing (It was pretty thick on that side) and Terry is standing there watching his son umpire the game. As I walked past I said giddaye when Terry caught my arm pointed to the crowd ans said "how long has this been going on." Being a bit of a smart arse I said "120 years give or take. I'm surprised you'd forgotten"


Another time Margie and I were doing a assignment that required us to interview somebody in the public. Plough was still coaching us but made time for us to interview him. Some of the questions were fairly personal but he answered them all honestly and without fluster. The tutor remarked that we had vivid imaginations and we said "no. We spoke to Terry Wallace" Tutor said "this was an exercise in imagination and speculation. You were expected to make it all up. Having said that, wow just wow. But do try and pay attention"

[EasternWest]

Oh yeah? Says who?

https://i.ibb.co/XLXTY7s/Screen-Shot-2020-05-26-at-9-47-13-AM.png (https://ibb.co/pw2phfz)

Renaissance-man stylings aside, he was the Oxford definition of a 'ball magnet'.

Why are you posting pictures of James Reyne?

[SonofScray]

Named a pub after him.

[1eyedog]

Sensational inside mid. Was slow but could get out of trouble with a quick side step or dummy, was very smart in tight. Looked a class above at his best. Two Crimmins and two Suttons speak volumes.

[Smads57]

Enjoyed watching him pull on the red, white and blue jumper - was a favourite of mine in our midfield in those days.

[The Doctor]

Didn't Wallace nick name himself 'Plough'?

Was a fantastic player and initially an innovative & dynamic coach. Got lost along along the way. Perhaps his ego got the better of him.

[Axe Man]

Hall of Fame: Terry Wallace, the plough who never let up (https://www.afl.com.au/news/114117/2018-hall-of-fame-inductee-terry-wallace)

IT WAS a big deal when Fitzroy secured ruck/forward Gerry McCarthy from Hawthorn a few weeks before the 1978 season.

Media reports suggested he was sold to the Lions solely for cash.

You had to read the fine print to learn that unknown Camberwell midfielder Terry Wallace, residentially zoned to the Lions but not at all rated by them, was also part of the deal.

Fast forward 40 years. That self-described "set of steak knives" is now a member of the Australian Football Hall of Fame.

From his debut game in round one of that season, he was the fourth wheel of one of the greatest following divisions in the history of the game - Don Scott, Michael Tuck and Leigh Matthews - and he was comfortable from the start.

"I'd had enough knockbacks in junior footy through to not getting the opportunity with Fitzroy, but I was still confident enough to back myself," he said.

"Mind you, it was a pretty daunting task to stand in the centre of the ground alongside Scott, Tuck and Matthews."

He was primarily a run-with player that season, but every week he grew with confidence. He played all 25 games and his best was the last - the Grand Final.

Yet after a disastrous 1980 season in which he was waylaid by a series of knee injuries, he was at the crossroads.

It was the arrival of Allan Jeans as Hawthorn coach in 1981 that turned Wallace into one of the best midfielders in the competition for the next six years.

"When 'Yab' arrived, I was at my absolute most fervent and he was looking for a ruthless edge with the players he wanted in the side. He saw me working my backside off," he said.

"He gave me an opportunity and I blossomed under that."

In an era when players were still part-time, Wallace's fitness regimen was ahead of his time. He did extra weights, running and recovery sessions.

"I was fitter and stronger than most of the blokes I was playing on. The inside-mid role suited me to a tee," he said.

It also helps explain where the 'Plough' nickname came from. "We were training in the mud at Glenferrie Oval one Tuesday night and I was ploughing in and ploughing in for the ball. Russell Greene called out, 'Look at him. He's a plough.' And it stuck."

Best and fairests, premierships and All-Australian honours regularly came his way. Wallace was aware of his shortcomings from the start and worked around them.

"My talents weren't the natural parts of the game. Great ball use? No. Overhead marking? Not particularly. Speed? Also, not particularly. But there were so many other areas I could be elite at," he said.

"One touch? Yes. Endurance? Elite. Body? Yes. I was self-built so I could play the roles I wanted to play. I knew I would never be as good in some other areas."

Wallace left the Hawks after their 1986 flag, having fallen out with Jeans.

He spent an injury-riddled season with Richmond, which he calls "an unmitigated disaster" before finishing his career with four excellent seasons at Footscray.

He suffered a serious facial injury after an incident with Melbourne's Rod Grinter in just his second game for the Bulldogs, and when he fronted up and played the next week, he earned the immediate respect of his new teammates and supporters.

"They knew I was fair dinkum and there for the right reasons," he said.

Wallace later coached the Western Bulldogs and Richmond and is now a respected analyst with SEN 1116. He is as obsessive about football as ever.

"I still have every footy card I ever owned, and I still watch nine games of footy every weekend," he said.

"I have always been absolutely fanatical about the game, so to be given an honour like this is just unbelievable."

Clubs Hawthorn, Richmond, Western Bulldogs
Born December 13, 1958
Recruited from Camberwell
Playing career 1978-91
Games 254
Goals 123
Player honours Hawthorn best and fairest 1981, 1983; Western Bulldogs best and fairest 1988, 1989; All-Australian 1982, 1983, 1988; Hawthorn premiership team 1978, 1983, 1986; Victorian representative (7 games, 5 goals); AFL life member
Coaching record Western Bulldogs 1996-2002 (148 games, 79 wins, 67 losses, 2 draws); Richmond 2005-09 (99 games, 37 wins, 60 losses, 2 draws); All-Australian coach 1998

[Twodogs]

It's funny the tricks the mind can play. My first memory of Terry is him kicking the last goal in the 1978 Grand Final. It put the Hawks 3 goals in front and sealed the game for them. But when I check AFLtables it says that he didn't kick a goal in the 1978 Grand Final even though I can see him do it in my mind's eye.

[bornadog]

It's funny the tricks the mind can play. My first memory of Terry is him kicking the last goal in the 1978 Grand Final. It put the Hawks 3 goals in front and sealed the game for them. But when I check AFLtables it says that he didn't kick a goal in the 1978 Grand Final even though I can see him do it in my mind's eye.

You are getting old, the mind is slipping :D

[Twodogs]

You are getting old, the mind is slipping :D

Certainly is. I'm older than Scott Morrison.

[Axe Man]

AFL coach Terry Wallace's 'bloody brutal' match report exposed by ex-player (https://7news.com.au/sport/afl/afl-coach-terry-wallaces-bloody-brutal-match-report-exposed-by-ex-player-c-1173160?fbclid=IwAR1rvWhYZ1lCmUqsb8a8goHYqF6fNDjahS1MVnCbJXu lOeSkrHj4w5Ik7Uw)

Former AFL coach Terry Wallace couldn’t help but laugh after reading a ‘bloody brutal’ match report for the first time since 1994.

Paul Satterley uploaded the assessment of his reserves performance to Twitter on Thursday.

“How good is this old match report from my favourite coach @thelistmanager (Terry Wallace),” Satterley wrote.

“Always good for a chuckle. Accountability was never my strong point.”

Wallace’s report detailed Satterley’s efforts as a forward pocket in the Bulldogs reserve team’s 50-point loss to Carlton in May 1994.

Footscray went on to win the reserves premiership that season - a 20-point win over North Melbourne after finishing third on the ladder.

But the Blues win’ was the Dogs’ third heavy loss in a row after a 61-point thrashing by Hawthorn and 56-point loss to the Kangaroos, and Wallace had evidently had enough.

“Five kicks in the first quarter and then only seven for the match is an indication of your recent performances,” Wallace wrote 26 years ago.

“Your lack of accountability for your opponent (Gleeson) early was disgraceful. One thing I’ll give you at least you kept trying. 8 tackles was good.”

Revisiting the evaluation on Thursday night, Wallace - who was then in the early stages of his coaching career after retiring as a player three years earlier - couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Bloody brutal. I needed a filter,” he wrote.

“I will wear that report as harsh.”

Wallace revealed Satterley isn’t the only retired player to bring up the past recently.

“I actually had an ex player in the very early hours last week text me and ask me to review a game from 20 years ago when he was dropped,” he said.

“I think it’s probably time to get over it & move on.”

But Satterley, who moved on to the VFA (soon to become the VFL) in 1995 and won the best and fairest award, joked that Wallace’s words weren’t that bad.

“Haha, all good... only need monthly counselling these days,” he said.

Wallace described the future VFL senior coach and AFL assistant coach as a “class act”.

“Saw Satts coach first hand & he was much more level than me,” Wallace said.

“By the way Satts played a key role in a Reserves Premiership with me.”

[Mofra]

I do have a lot of time for Wallace.

[azabob]

How far has journalism fallen when articles are lifted purely off twitter?

[Ozza]

He certainly had a 'me first' approach as a player which wasn't as noticeable across the playing group then like it is now
He left Hawthorn because they played him as a HBF in a final which sort of confirms he liked things on his terms.
I can remember him wearing spurs attached to his boots around the club and he purchased a sun bed to maintain the tan
Left Richmond after one season because Maurice Rioli was going to be the prime midfielder
Very imaged focused

As a footballer though he was a great midfielder albeit with limited kicking skills. Hard working, a bit slow and tireless hence the Plough nickname. He knew his limitations and played within them

Innovative coach who challenged the status quo. Loved recruiting players with pace and kicking skills which ironically he didn't poses those qualities as a footballer.

He played a leading role in the demise of Alan Joyce rallying the players and I'd like him to fess up on his departure from us regarding the Sydney job. He seems determined not to spill the beans on that

I talked to him at the East meets West function three or four years ago and he's always up for a talk

G, I'm a bit confused by the line about Rioli. Wallace was at Richmond in 1987 - which was Rioli's final season. Its before my time of being able remember (I was 4 years old) - so am interested in what happened there.

I was pretty young so don't remember heaps about Plough the player, but I do remember Dad telling me one day at the Western Oval that I should watch Plough and how he reads the game.
I remember him being a ball magnet, and I also remember Rod Grinter (cowardly) rearranging his face.

Loved him as a coach, and will always be thankful that he made us competitive again. He was innovative and gave us a real edge for a while there, and over time the other coaches caught up.

[GVGjr]

G, I'm a bit confused by the line about Rioli. Wallace was at Richmond in 1987 - which was Rioli's final season. Its before my time of being able remember (I was 4 years old) - so am interested in what happened there.

I was pretty young so don't remember heaps about Plough the player, but I do remember Dad telling me one day at the Western Oval that I should watch Plough and how he reads the game.
I remember him being a ball magnet, and I also remember Rod Grinter (cowardly) rearranging his face.

Loved him as a coach, and will always be thankful that he made us competitive again. He was innovative and gave us a real edge for a while there, and over time the other coaches caught up.

I think I must has misread things, he left Hawthorn because was squeezed out of the middle, with Richmond it was an injury and something else and for whatever reason I thought it was Rioli

[HOSE B ROMERO]

Love him as a player, coach and pundit.
Played in the centre in outstanding Hawthorn teams. A lot of players who have tasted glory go to a new team and go through the motions. Not Terry. Two best and fairests and was just ferocious at the ball. Mind you the wearing of the bulldogs headband in his final season ushered in the end of his career. Not a great fashion statement.
Reserves coach, assistant coach and then the top job. Innovative. Warm up before the game outside of Optus oval. I even remember a night game at the MCG in 97 when we had a forward line where Rohan Smith as the tallest forward. (Smith, Johnson, Brown, Kolyniuk, Hudson & Montgomery).
He probably spent about 16 years at the club.

[Bulldog Revolution]

I have a lot of respect for Terry Wallace - he was an incredibly driven person, it didnt end well in his time with us (things never end well), but he was a huge force in improving the club, and shaped a generation of bulldogs who still contribute to the club and shape what we do now.

He recognised his limitations in speed and worked hard to get himself super fit and strong - in a lot of ways he was ahead of his time. Sure he was a bit vain, liked his fashion, liked his tanning, but hey, he worked hard and absolutely gave it his best.

He fell out with Jeans - perhaps saw he was going to be pushed into roles he didn't want to be, and so butted heads with Jeans and left. In some ways he was always a trailblazer foreseeing the lack of real loyalty in footy. And it was the same way when he negotiated his exit from the dogs as coach. I dont love him for that, but I also dont begrudge him from understanding where it was heading - truth be told, we probably needed a change, and Cam Rose wasnt exactly a great CEO IMO.

I don't really know what happened when he went to Richmond, but he was a guy who was committed to being the best footballer he could be - and yes he individually wanted to be the best player he could be, but he was a very committed team player. I wouldn't have described his style of play as selfish at all.

As a coach is remains one of the great modern bulldog tragedies that we did not win that 1997 prelim and then grand final - so that his coaching would have been utterly vindicated. He was so far ahead of his time in 1997 and gave us every chance - we just couldnt quite nail it over his time. And even when he did controversial things like trading Brett Montgomery and Stephen Powell we did reap Hahn, Hargrave, Eagleton and others from those deals.

Plough was an excellent coach - it didnt work out quite as well at Richmond and he may have lost his way at the end there, but hes still going in the media - hes a survivor, an innovator, and I bet he does more pre-work than your average ex coach/player media member.

[Bulldog Joe]

.... In some ways he was always a trailblazer foreseeing the lack of real loyalty in footy. And it was the same way when he negotiated his exit from the dogs as coach. I dont love him for that, but I also dont begrudge him from understanding where it was heading - truth be told, we probably needed a change, and Cam Rose wasnt exactly a great CEO IMO.



Plough was great for the club, but did leave as in the lurch when he departed.

However, I can't let a shot at Cam Rose pass without comment. I know it is just opinion and everyone is entitled to their opinion

To my mind, Rose really didn't understand football, but as a CEO he probably saved the club and put us on a sustainable commercial footing that, our current stable financial position was built on.

[GVGjr]

Plough was great for the club, but did leave as in the lurch when he departed.

However, I can't let a shot at Cam Rose pass without comment. I know it is just opinion and everyone is entitled to their opinion

To my mind, Rose really didn't understand football, but as a CEO he probably saved the club and put us on a sustainable commercial footing that, our current stable financial position was built on.

Wallace was the innovator who challenged the status quo on how clubs and players should approach football
Training prior to Xmas was with a football as well and getting onto the ground before the start of play are just two examples of how Plough challenged the way things were done
The likes of Wynd were no longer wrapped up in cotton wool before the start of the season, get fit or stand aside was his approach
The approach he took to the flood against Essendon was innovative in it's day. Changed gears perfectly.

But as you have highlighted he did leave us in the lurch and in my opinion he was very self focused

Re Campbell Rose, I believe we are still a club today because of his efforts but I also agree with BR that he wasn't a good CEO
I can recall talking to him and thinking he would be impossible to work for but a lot of the WO development were because of his fine work.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Plough was great for the club, but did leave as in the lurch when he departed.

However, I can't let a shot at Cam Rose pass without comment. I know it is just opinion and everyone is entitled to their opinion

To my mind, Rose really didn't understand football, but as a CEO he probably saved the club and put us on a sustainable commercial footing that, our current stable financial position was built on.

I can accept that Bulldog Joe - it was perhaps too much of a throw away line. In truth his legacy is mixed - he had some great ideas, and absolutely made some good contributions, but he didnt start off knowing much about footy, and I think the mix of Plough with Rose wasnt a good mix. If anything Plough probably sensed he'd be asked to take a pay cut, and Plough has always known that your time in footy is finite, wouldn't have ideally wanted to.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Wallace was the innovator who challenged the status quo on how clubs and players should approach football
Training prior to Xmas was with a football as well and getting onto the ground before the start of play are just two examples of how Plough challenged the way things were done
The likes of Wynd were no longer wrapped up in cotton wool before the start of the season, get fit or stand aside was his approach
The approach he took to the flood against Essendon was innovative in it's day. Changed gears perfectly.

But as you have highlighted he did leave us in the lurch and in my opinion he was very self focused

Re Campbell Rose, I believe we are still a club today because of his efforts but I also agree with BR that he wasn't a good CEO
I can recall talking to him and thinking he would be impossible to work for but a lot of the WO development were because of his fine work.

I think thats reasonable thoughts on Plough - and Ive tried to capture the mixed legacy of Rose is my response to Bulldog Joe also

Plough was an amazing innovator - he'd worked at Foxtel and paid attention to world sports - we did the on the ground warm ups, we were media friendly and accessible, he wanted us playing by and large an attractive game. He got buy in from the players, brought in assistant coaches to extend and challenge him, who had CVs from elsewhere, and got our players much fitter and much more professional than we'd ever been. He opened the club up to supporters with open trainings and pre season sessions that were a great spectacle. He mostly forged good relationships with players and created a generation of club champions - West, Grant, Smith, Johnson, Darcy etc and extracted great contributions from Libba, Wynd, Jose, Dimma, Brown, Kretiuk, Croft, Hudson, Ellis and so many others.

Terry was always someone who knew that most of the time footy clubs decide when somebodies times up, and he wanted to keep coaching and probably feared pay cuts and being told by Rose his time was up. So in this regard Terry might be seen as a mercenary but actually I think he was just closer to a realist, and just understood the realities of footy life better than most, and always made sure to look out for Terry. The period that Terry coached was one of the most exciting Bulldog periods of my life and Im grateful for the contribution he did make. He's not a saint but we should be proud of what he did do.

The re-development of the WO has been visionary - and I cant wait to be back their physically watching a AFLW or VFL game - please world return to normal.

[bornadog]

we probably needed a change, and Cam Rose wasn't exactly a great CEO IMO.

Let me shed a different light.


However, I can't let a shot at Cam Rose pass without comment. I know it is just opinion and everyone is entitled to their opinion

To my mind, Rose really didn't understand football, but as a CEO he probably saved the club and put us on a sustainable commercial footing that, our current stable financial position was built on.

Correct


Re Campbell Rose, I believe we are still a club today because of his efforts but I also agree with BR that he wasn't a good CEO
I can recall talking to him and thinking he would be impossible to work for but a lot of the WO development were because of his fine work.

When Campbell came to the club, he found the finances in a mess and at the brink of folding. Gordon had tried to do as much as possible in the preceding years to keep the club afloat, but just didn't have the connections to try and get financial backing that was needed. It was time for a change.

Rose was not a popular CEO when he was appointed by Smorgo and knew he had to make some very unpopular decisions. The first thing he did was asked everyone to taken a pay cut, and Nathan Brown plus Wallace just decided they can do better elsewhere. I remember being invited to the Presidents lunch and we were sitting outside just before the third quarter and Rose came over and sat with us. We started talking about his plans and he was very impressive.

Eventually using his contacts he got things going as well as raising almost $30 million to develop the ground. I can understand from the outside he may have seemed like a person you may not like and think he can't run a club, but believe me, he is a truly professional CEO and a likeable guy when you get to know him.

I have known him for the past few years and he is a sharp operator with lots of connections and currently heads up VicTrack.

He is a bit if an unsung hero of the club and doesn't get the accolades like Smorgo or Gordon, but he did a great job to save the club.

[Remi Moses]

I’ve softened on Plough over the years
He was a courageous and excellent player
That gutless hit from Grinter and to play the next week was stuff of legend
Good analyst as well, and to be honest he craps on most of them .
Jonathon Brown I think is the worst

[Remi Moses]

Plough was great for the club, but did leave as in the lurch when he departed.

However, I can't let a shot at Cam Rose pass without comment. I know it is just opinion and everyone is entitled to their opinion

To my mind, Rose really didn't understand football, but as a CEO he probably saved the club and put us on a sustainable commercial footing that, our current stable financial position was built on.

It was a poisoned chalice at the time, but he effectively saved the club
To get that ground development was probably a miracle
I think Howard may have thought it was a swing seat instead of a labor stronghold
He wasn’t a footy person which he conceded and would have been hard to work for

[Prince Imperial]

Let me shed a different light.



Correct



When Campbell came to the club, he found the finances in a mess and at the brink of folding. Gordon had tried to do as much as possible in the preceding years to keep the club afloat, but just didn't have the connections to try and get financial backing that was needed. It was time for a change.

Rose was not a popular CEO when he was appointed by Smorgo and knew he had to make some very unpopular decisions. The first thing he did was asked everyone to taken a pay cut, and Nathan Brown plus Wallace just decided they can do better elsewhere. I remember being invited to the Presidents lunch and we were sitting outside just before the third quarter and Rose came over and sat with us. We started talking about his plans and he was very impressive.

Eventually using his contacts he got things going as well as raising almost $30 million to develop the ground. I can understand from the outside he may have seemed like a person you may not like and think he can't run a club, but believe me, he is a truly professional CEO and a likeable guy when you get to know him.

I have known him for the past few years and he is a sharp operator with lots of connections and currently heads up VicTrack.

He is a bit if an unsung hero of the club and doesn't get the accolades like Smorgo or Gordon, but he did a great job to save the club.

I agree. Rose inherited a financial mess and he certainly helped stabilise the club by making difficult financial decisions (including us not having most of our rookie list in 2001-05). A staff member who I knew at the time, really liked him.

His biggest failure, however, was initiating the Edgewater disaster which wasted millions of dollars and no doubt vast amounts of staffing hours.

Of course post his CEO role, his VicTrack leadership has also assisted the club immensely.

[azabob]

I loved Terry Wallace.

As a nine year old in 1988 he was a shining light for me- not only was he close to our best player but to think a premiership superstar from the Hawks would come to my club. I was proud as punch he pulled on our jumper. As a nine year old I probably didn't grasp he was getting on in age and was banged up injury wise.

I remember I was shattered in 1994 when he missed out on the main coaching gig and it went to Allan Joyce - I really believed he should have got the gig.

Then when he finally got the main gig in 1996 & 1997 he made footy fun again. He made me believe we could be a good team that would match it with the best of them.

Those years at Princess Park as our home ground were some of my favourite footy memories - even though we had to drive from Seaford to get there.

He didn't leave in great circumstances and that left a bitter taste in my mouth but he could see the writing on the wall on field and off field financially.

Is it fair to say his departure was similar to Mick Malthouses (albeit not as smooth as he didn't get a job strait away)?

[bornadog]

He didn't leave in great circumstances and that left a bitter taste in my mouth but he could see the writing on the wall on field and off field financially.

Is it fair to say his departure was similar to Mick Malthouses (albeit not as smooth as he didn't get a job strait away)?

Very similar in that financially we were down the drain. Malthouse of course was the coach when the merger was announced and he was off like a shot. Terry was very much wanted but thought he had stitched up a deal with the Swans, only to find they changed their minds and he had already resigned from us. He wasn't happy that the club didn't allow him to coach the last game.

[azabob]

Very similar in that financially we were down the drain. Malthouse of course was the coach when the merger was announced and he was off like a shot. Terry was very much wanted but thought he had stitched up a deal with the Swans, only to find they changed their minds and he had already resigned from us. He wasn't happy that the club didn't allow him to coach the last game.

I do recall that. As club captain Chris Grant from memory was the driving force behind it.