His side had just won for the first time in a month, but it was against one of the poorest teams in the competition, and the Tigers suffered a significant lapse in the third term – the premiership quarter – when Essendon cut a second term 55-point deficit to just 26 points.
Richmond ran out convincing 38-point winners, but Wallace was unhappy with the lapse.
"Oh look, I thought it was a three-quarter performance," Wallace said after the match. "I thought our first half was excellent. Our attack on the ball and the man was excellent, I thought our ability to lower our eyes and really pick the targets was as good as I've seen for some time.
"The third quarter was really poor for a lot of reasons – they beat us at contested ball, which we really rate ourselves at. Of course it's a game of momentum, and sides are always going to get momentum at some stage, and they kicked some pretty special goals in that third quarter.
"I wasn't really too over-enthusiastic at three-quarter time, and let the boys know that, but in saying that, I thought we handled the last quarter fine.
"So 75 percent, I think last week it was about 65 percent, so some good, but not all good."
Wallace indicated the development of the squad over time was clearly a significant factor in the team's improvement.
"Well, we are more mature – the 18-year-olds are now 21, and they're growing up, and they'll grow more as it goes on.," he said.
"It was pleasing, and it was pleasing early in the game to see some of those boys really impact – I thought Richard Tambling early in the game really was probably the one who actually ignited the thing and got us started, which was pleasing. Guys like Shane Edwards and Trent Cotchin getting their hands on the ball, Matty White – that's the nucleus of the future of the footy club, and that looked pretty good.
"The next thing is, to be able to do it for four quarters, and the other factor is doing it against the better sides in the competition."
