Are the majority of taggers failed midfielders?

[RedVest4]

Prestia has one game where he was checking someone and now all of a sudden he's a tagger, god bless the insightful knowledge of BigFooty.

The evidence is damning... It was either get him to tag someone or drop him.

 

[master bate]

The best taggers are usually good ball winners who have the ability to read the play in tight and the work rate away from the contest.

They often aren't the best ball users. So instead of getting 25 of their touches v 30 from a superstar they turn it in to 15 of their touches and 20 from a superstar.

Ben Jacobs from North is an interesting one because he was probably drafted as a good ball user who might struggle to win it, but overall he's still a pretty handy player who couldn't quite crack it in a midfield/half back role but was a proficient tagger.

 

[MightyTiger]

The evidence is damning... It was either get him to tag someone or drop him.

Nah.

 

[tenderwarrior]

Ryan Crowley was a failed forward thank you very much.

So was Cameron Ling.

 

[blitzer]

I reckon there's a few different development paths - teams rarely seek to make a tagger from day one:
Spend a bit of time tagging to develop their overall game but then move on: Gibbs did this, Heppell did this, Coniglio?

Decent midfielders in their own right but sometimes struggled for impact: Ling, Cornes, Vince

No longer cutting it as bonafide mids because of perceived weakness so they try to turn them into taggers late into their career: Barlow, Crowley

 

[matwt73]

I like the new trend of letting young kids play a close checking role on the oppositions best midfielder. Hawthorn has been doing it plenty with Howe and he has come leaps and bounds playing on the best.

The true tagger seems to be a dying role.

Hardly a new trend. Getting young kids to play on quality mids as a learning tool has been around as long as the game. "Get the gun to lead them to the ball."

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[Ron The Bear]

Players with a tank who the coach would least prefer bringing the ball inside 50.

 

[katmanblue]

What was he then?

The age old question.

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[dumb]

i can remember glenn manton keeping nathan buckley relatively quiet twice, when bucks was playing half back. both times the bolt keeping buckley to low 20's disposals, getting the same himself and kicking a couple of goals for good measure. went on to play as a shorter key defence type.

complete negative taggers are almost a thing of the past. still remember anthony franchina getting around.

 

[Hobbes]

Midfielders who have the courage and grunt but lack the silky skills are probably very suitable as a tagger.

 

[PetterdHoisted]

Prestia may have changed the game forever last week. Just Tagging someone out of a game, or getting a lot of ball yourself may be things of the past.

From now on the standard is getting a shed load of ball while also suffocating the oppos best midfielder.

Poor Zorks, but hats off Dion.

 

[Topkent]

Danger Ablett Swan Judd etc are failed taggers, don't have the discipline

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Hardly a new trend. Getting young kids to play on quality mids as a learning tool has been around as long as the game. "Get the gun to lead them to the ball."

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Yes, it's an extension of when I played, if you were struggling to find the ball, the coach would put you on the opposition's best player and he would take you to the ball. It really works.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

Nope.

They are still playing in the midfield, they are just great at stoppign someone and then being able to find their own ball.

Ling was a genius at this, guys like Liberatore and Crowley just dirty scraggers who, if the umpires paid mroe attention, would have hundreds pf frees against them each year.

 

[STFU Donnie]

Pity Howe doesn't currently have anyone to learn from

Wow. Impressive mising of the point! Obviously he meant learning from the best opposition player. I'm guessing you didn't get into Geelong Grammar?

 

[00Stinger]

Bernie Vince has won 2 b&fs as a pure midfielder.

Hardly a failed midfielder

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[The Joker]

Add Rockliff to the s**t mids turned gun tagger list!

 

[Xhoquelin]

Cameron Ling was not a failed midfielder.

Debatable, his 2006 season showed how he didn't cut the mustard as a permanent creative midfielder.

But IMO, great midfielders should be able to do a bit of tagging as well. Kane Cornes did a bit of both, accumulate and tag, mainly because his tackling was good.

When two great midfielders like Danger and Fyfe go head to head they will certainly "tag" each other for parts of the game.

Coniglio is a an ideal midfielder, a strong defensive midfielder who wins his own footy. Has the tank and size to go with the best guys but can also damage the game himself a lot.

Ideally, all of your midfielders, or as many as possible, can tag, but also be a good kick. The best teams will have a few guys like Liam Shiels/Brad Sewell/pre Geelong Scooter/Libba who average 20 touches a game but are mainly fit, tough guys who can lay a tackle.

 

[Xenthor]

One of the best taggers ever, Kane Cornes was hardly a failed midfielder.

What a flog

 

[Jakksynn]

What a flog

Doesn't change the fact he was a good midfielder and a good tagger

 

[Fluro Boots]

Doesn't change the fact he was a good midfielder and a good tagger

Smashed Sam Mitchell time and time again.

 

[RedVest4]

Tom Rockliff...

Another example to support my claim.

 

[eastfreo75]

Not sure about failed. But you don't use your most important and damaging people as a tagger.

Ling, wasn't in the same class as Selwood, Bartel, Chapman, or Ablett.

 

[Righteo]

Nope.

They are still playing in the midfield, they are just great at stoppign someone and then being able to find their own ball.

Ling was a genius at this, guys like Liberatore and Crowley just dirty scraggers who, if the umpires paid mroe attention, would have hundreds pf frees against them each year.

Yeah, Crowley was never under any kind of umpire scrutiny

 

[La Vache]

Brad Sewell started as a tagger and became one of the toughest, elite big-match midfielders ever seen at hawthorn.