RICHMOND coach Terry Wallace believes that Hawthorn is the best drilled side he has seen since Sydney emerged as a force six years ago.

Speaking after his side’s 12 point loss, Wallace said that the Hawks played a different style to any other team in the competition.

"I think they have taken the game to another level and it is a credit to their coaching staff and to the playing group. Probably this time last year we weren't that ready for it but this time around we knew how they were going to play it," Wallace said.

"We had Plan A in place and it fell apart very quickly and it looked like we were going to get beaten by a dozen goals if we kept going down that pathway."

Wallace said that by the time he deployed his third alternative plan the Tigers were able to get the game played on their terms rather than Hawthorn’s.

Wallace was referring to the difficulties of penetrating Hawthorn’s "rolling zone".

"I watched Adelaide get beaten by them a couple of weeks ago and they just beat (Adelaide) quite comfortably and people got frustrated by either kicking down a line and having it pushed very wide or by taking them on through the middle of the ground where their handball action comes into the game."

Wallace said that he felt the game was in the balance when there was a succession of tackles in front of the members’ stand half way through the last quarter.

"There could have been six different free kicks paid at any time and I had the feeling that whichever way it went, it was going to be pretty big in the result. It spilled out and went their way and they kicked a goal and sealed the game."

Wallace paid tribute to Matthew Richardson’s indomitable running capacity, both working back into defence and up forward later in the day.

Wallace refuted the suggestion by his opposite number Alastair Clarkson that he had dropped an extra man back all day.

"We played Matthew Richardson in the wing and Matthew plays the game pushing forward and working behind the ball at times. We never, ever lined up with one bloke sitting in the back half of the ground. If it did it was from a rollover of someone not picking someone up."

Wallace said that no side had managed to have more than 50 entries into the forward 50 zone this year.

"We couldn’t control the corridor like we have controlled the corridor in other games, couldn’t get our play-ons going, or our running bounces going.”

Wallace said the Hawthorn tactics were "fascinating stuff" and the "next generation of footy".

"No wonder he (Alistair Clarkson) wants lockout sessions because he’s doing things that other people are not doing at the moment. I don’t think I’ve seen a side do it any better than Hawthorn, ever. That's a pretty reasonable rap, I suppose.

"What they are trying to do is get you to kick the ball wide and then keep you wide and not get any sort of play back in the centre corridor at all."

The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.