Wallace: Tigers flounder in the wet

Richmond coach Terry Wallace believes his team is not suited to playing modern day football in wet conditions.

It was a typical Melbourne day on Saturday, with the howling rain making conditions slippery under foot and the mercury struggling to get into double figures during the entire afternoon.

Despite starting its match well against Geelong on Saturday afternoon, Wallace thinks Richmond is a much better side when the rain stays away and his team can run and carry the ball.

"We have done okay in wet conditions in a few games in the past but I think we have become a real strong run and carry side with genuine speed in our line-up," Wallace said.

"We only had eight running bounces for the game today. That ability to step out and run with the footy was a little bit lost."

Although eventually beaten by 30 points, Wallace said there were plenty of encouraging signs to come out of the match.

"For the game we played 70 minutes of good football and 45 minutes of stuff we were disappointed with," Wallace said.

"To be 20 points up of the team that is the best team in the land, I thought there were some pretty good signs there. They are a strong physical team and I thought that physicality started to come to the fore the longer we went in the game."

Wallace was relatively happy with Joel Bowden's first game for the club since round 3, while Trent Cotchin impressed the veteran coach on debut.

Cotchin, who was warming up with Coburg this morning in readiness for the VFL curtain raiser before Wallace pulled him aside, collected 16 disposals and even managed to kick a goal with his first kick in league football.

"To get Trent in and give him his first taste of footy against the premiers is sure to hold him in good stead," Wallace said.

Wallace also revealed that midfielder Mark Coughlan had traveled to Europe on Friday in an attempt to cure his injured knee and hamstring.

Coughlan flew out to Germany for two weeks and will receive the same treatment from the same doctor that cured Geelong's Max Rooke from similar soft tissue injuries late last season.