Chris Tarrant - our new CHB

[greenred]

Very bad idea.

As someone else on here said, you don't sell the farm for a power forward in order to turn them into a defender, particularly as they are nearing the end of their careers.

Cannot see this move working.

It's worth experimenting with Taz up around the wing or high- half forward ala Ryan O'Keefe. That would be returning Taz to his former role of his AA year. We know he can play that role high up the ground, so hopefully for his sake he can recapture some of that form.

You haven't seen Tarrant play in the last 2 seasons have you?

However, CHB?

I think McPharlin is a way better bet.

Just seems like a desperate move.

McPharlin is not necessarily a CHB. He simply takes the forward he is most suited to. Tarrant in the backline does not mean that has to change.

Desperate is what Malthouse will be. He will become the longest serving coach ever without a premiership. He better hope Bucks isn't knocking on the door.

 

[Moo]

I don't mind the Pies fans talking about Taz, but the Medhurst rocks yay tossers can rack off.

On Taz - I think he is a great 2nd tall ...I mean he has the tools to be a great CHB - very quick and would be a great match up for some of the roaming forwards.

However this leaves us with Pav being tripled ....unless there is an answer for Taz forward ..I would hang my hopes on Drummy back.

 

[mr.11]

Is Tarrant even training to be a backman?

i doubt he´ll play,just all for abit of attention he´ll libe up forward rnd 1

 

[nipper]

Is Tarrant even training to be a backman?

i doubt he´ll play,just all for abit of attention he´ll libe up forward rnd 1

I always thought that was what it was meant to be?? Taz might have a bit of trouble at the start becasue he is used to running off palyers and will have learn not to run free but he will adapt. I think he will be rapt and take on the the challenge. I don't mind Collingwood supporters having an input as long as its productive and not focusing on putting him down. I think it is hard for them to let go because he was with them for so long and one of their favourites. Taz brought in more money than Buckley with souvenirs etc... I am quite sure that Taz is still is close to his Collingwood mates (players).

 

[SELFCONFESDAFLNERD]

I could see Tarrant doing OK as a CHB, strange with Grover though, i would have thought that it would have been Tarrant permanently back and MacPharlin permanently forward if they wanted a change, could still see that happening in the regular season though.

Oh well you can afford to experiment in NAB cup.

 

[Lach72]

Haha if you say so champ.

I like to operate on fact, not speculation.

Medhurst is an All-Australian and currently one of the best forwards in the league. Has plenty of heart and just needed a decent club to nurture his talent.

lol.

 

[greenred]

Where exactly has Taz been playing the last two seasons?

If he has been playing up the wing or high half-forward he should be able to recapture some of his 2003 AA form.

Also on MM, last time I checked he was a dual premiership coach.

Chris Connolly won how many premierships?

Mark Harvey has won how many?

Also, Bucks is knocking on the door. There is no doubt he is the successor. Everybody knows that.

Tarrant has spent the last two seasons playing between high half-forward and full-forward, as required by the team set-up. His 2007 season was disrupted after surgery to both calves and his 2008 season by a neck/shoulder injury.

Malthouse may be a dual premiership coach, but it is 15 years since he won one and it was at a different club. The fact is he's about to become the longest serving coach at a single club without winning a flag.

 

[DockerNJL]

Where exactly has Taz been playing the last two seasons?

If he has been playing up the wing or high half-forward he should be able to recapture some of his 2003 AA form.

Also on MM, last time I checked he was a dual premiership coach.

Chris Connolly won how many premierships?

Mark Harvey has won how many?

Also, Bucks is knocking on the door. There is no doubt he is the successor. Everybody knows that.

How many for your club????

Last time i checked he has been there for a long time and has not won collingwood a flag.

 

[Juddys_navy_blues]

Ballantyne will be better than Medhurst ever was. The raccoon will go to shit next year after a couple of decent years.. same as when he was with us. Heart the size of a pea

Good post, bloody collingwood supporters anyone who wears there jumper has to be better than everyone else, shame that with all there superstars they never win anything. LOL

 

[theGav56]

I am hoping this is all massive media speculation, although I do not mind the idea of some experimentation with Tarrant's game. I have three main objections;

GROVER; He is probably our most accountable and reliable tall forward, although MacPharlin would be our number one. MacPharlin contributes more to the team when he is freed up to be more attacking and creative, whereas Grover only really gets beaten when he is mis-matched against bigger opponents. Why would we change that?

TARRANT; If he were to become our CHB I suugest he would end up being one of the least accountable in the game. It is one of the most important positions going, and it takes a bit of learning including different skills to playing as a forward. Plus, we can't weaken our forward line and end up feeding Pavlich to a marauding pack of backmen as the lone effective tall forward and hope to still have him at the club for very long.

HARVEY; IMO last year we began the year with a confused game plan despite having been expecting a simpler and more aggressive approach. Most posters on here blamed the players not doing what Harvey wanted etc. But the reality is Harvey was a rookie coach and was learning on the job. I would like to see us going into the new season with the team structure fairly clear, and that revolves around how you are going to use key players such as Tarrant and Grover.

Of course if he does it and it works, then maybe he is the next master coach. Personally I think it is just chatter in the media.

 

[jinxd]

I think Harvey is just having a bit of a laugh, to be honest. I don't think he's being 100% serious with all this. The media are lapping it up cos there's no other AFL news.

Personally, I reckon it's more a case of Harvey & Co. switching players around according to each game. They may have to put Tarrant in the backline if there's no one else available (ie. If there's an injury and a young guy can't fill the spot).

I'm sure Tarrant, and the entire team, now understand that they may need to be more versatile this year. Just in case there's an injury/suspension etc. Which is what, I think, Grover was inferring to in his interview.

 

[E Shed]

I'm guessing that Harvey would like to get some value out of K1W1 and or Murphy and give one of them the opportunity to play as the main target at FF leaving Pav free to roam around between centre bounces CHB & CHF or wherever he likes really.

As for Tarrant, why wouldn't you give him the opportunity to reinvent himself? He's a very talented athlete who, because of confidence problems (& injury) has played some pretty ordinary footy (by his standards) for a few years. I think he would love to forget about kicking goals and have a chance to be the hunter after years of being the hunted.
Relieved of his burdens as a forward he might play some really elite footy again.
Honestly what have we got to lose by at least trying this?

 

[loopa]

^well said E shed!

 

[Dock_king]

I don`t see the point in trying Tarrant at CHB. If he was to move into the backline surely it would only be to play as the loose man, basically to fill up space.
He`s a great athlete and has elite field kicking which, to me, suits the role of a wingman perfectly and I reckon he`d blitz if played there.

Grover could be a gun forward and would cause big problems for opposing defenders. He`d also get a new lease on life/football after fighting with the gorillas for so many years.

 

[longsuffreosupp]

Grover has a nice kick, and has been pretty accurate when venturing forward to dob a goal.

Would love to see how Tarrant would go on a Reiwoldt or Brown

 

[Palmervich]

I think the ideas put forward are intriging, and I for one would certainly welcome it to be tried in the nab cup or the challenge cup. There is nothing to loose, potentially much to gain.

 

[Underdog]

Grover could be a gun forward and would cause big problems for opposing defenders. He`d also get a new lease on life/football after fighting with the gorillas for so many years.

What basis do you have for saying that?

 

[greenred]

What basis do you have for saying that?

Grover has all the necessary skills for a quality forward. Tall, strong, good pace, strong overhead mark, good kick and his defensive skills would be second to none as a forward. When the opportunity presents he is not afraid to venture forward and kick a goal. If he has the desire to succeed, there is no reason that he wouldn't.

 

[Underdog]

Grover has all the necessary skills for a quality forward.

So did Andrew McDougall

Tall

He's the same height as Adam Selwood and Chris Judd. He's tall but he's always been pretty short for a KPP

strong

He is.

good pace

Good pace without being anything special

strong overhead mark

As a defender when he has the option to mark or spoil. Up forward, he'll essentially have to mark every ball. No cherry picking.

good kick

Nobodies seen enough of his goal kicking to say that. Lynch is one of the best kicks at the Eagles. Probably second only to Hurn. However, I think it's far to say his goal kicking accuracy is pretty average.

and his defensive skills would be second to none as a forward.

No doubt.

If he has the desire to succeed, there is no reason that he wouldn't.

There's plenty of reasons. You still haven't mentioned his creativity, or knowing how to time a lead, or playing within a forward setup etc.

He could very well become a gun forward, but little of what he has done to date suggests that could be the case.

 

[Belnakor]

Grover is about 3-4 inches too short, otherwise he could be a star. As it is he is a medium sized defender. which is why the G-Train used to pencil himself in for 6 every time he played us.

He also needs to be led to the ball, which is why he plays in defense.

Considering we have Murphy, Kiwi and Tarrant all vying for the 2nd big man spot, and all 3 are too slow off the mark to play in defense, would suggest to me Grover will always be in defense.

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

Haha if you say so champ.

I like to operate on fact, not speculation.

Medhurst is an All-Australian and currently one of the best forwards in the league. Has plenty of heart and just needed a decent club to nurture his talent.

He needed a decent coach which is what he got. A year or so ago I remember Malthouse wrote an article which said Medhurst needed to be left to play his own game.

This was something Connolly refused to do. Kept trying to change him. Our loss ....

 

[greenred]

So did Andrew McDougall

Sorry, I must be on the wrong board. I thought we were discussing AFL football, not the U8's girls netball team?

 

[Dr Ralph Dagg]

Chris Tarrant used to play in defence in his junior days. I think it is an idea worth pursuing in the NAB. He gives us some decent body size, speed and presence in the back half. he has good closing speed and can get a fist to the ball more often than not. Takes pressure of McPharlin. Imagine McPharlin playing on their number two forwards. Imagine McPharlin on Travis Cloke for example or Daniel Bradshaw. He'd take them to the cleaners.

Could you imagine the battles between Tarrant and Brown, Richo, Fevola, Rocca et al? That could really be something.

As to Grover up forward, he's a good size, good speed, good leap, holds his feet well and and can tackle. Hes played on a some of the best forwards in the game and must have some idea what to do. He's an above average shot for goal. And he can't be any worse at finding the ball than 2 kicks a game Murphy.

Grover, Solomon and Dessie on the forwards gives us some rangey, hard tackling, reasonably quick, consistent performers who add a bit of steel to the forward line.

Definitely worth a try. Or do some of you knuckleheads want to keep trying the same thing over and over?

 

[Underdog]

Sorry, I must be on the wrong board. I thought we were discussing AFL football, not the U8's girls netball team?

Interesting that amongst my whole reply you pick out the most throw away response. Do you have a reply of substance?

 

[Rastum]

I screamed for this for years at Collingwood.. he just isn't a reliable enough kick in front of goals but he has the mobility ala Chad Cornes to own CHB