""I don’t mind seeing that sort of stuff one bit,"" Wallis said. ""It shows me that these blokes know the pressure is on and that they need to perform. It was good hard stuff and if any of the players needed a reminder that the real thing isn’t far away, they got it on Saturday morning.""
Wallis was impressed by the hardness of first year Bomber Henry Slattery who knocked out Essendon defender Andrew Welsh with an accidental elbow during the course of the game.
""It was accidental and you obviously would prefer a player wasn't hurt but it happened when he was going for the ball. That is the sort of hardness you like to see from a first year player. The ball was there, he wanted it and someone got in his way,"" Wallis said.
Scott Lucas was also in a very physical mood, putting rookie Ryan Bain on his backside on more than one occasion.
""That sort of thing doesn’t do a young player any harm at all,"" Wallis said. ""AFL football is a very physical game and you may as well find that out now. And you don’t mind seeing your more experienced players playing like that either. After a long pre-season these blokes want that bit of competitiveness – it is almost a release in some ways.""
