Optimax
Brownlow Medallist
This has taken me back a bit wasnt expecting to see him at least until after the bye.
But here is the article:
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21797819%5E19765,00.html
FREMANTLE recruit Chris Tarrant has been warned to expect a hostile reception on his return to the MCG to take on his former club Collingwood on Friday.
More pointedly, former Magpie stars Tony Shaw and Brian Taylor said Tarrant should brace for a loss on his homecoming.
Tarrant, 26, will take on his former teammates for the first time since crossing to the Dockers after last season.
Shaw and Taylor have warned Tarrant should prepare for the worst with taunts and jeers from some of the most one-eyed fans in sport.
The Dockers could also be confronted by Magpies captain Nathan Buckley and classy on-baller Paul Licuria, who are on the verge of comebacks for the vital clash.
Meanwhile, Shaw has launched a scathing attack on Fremantle's lack of hard-ball players.
The former Pies tough man said the Dockers lacked a batch of
hard-nosed players to be genuine premiership contenders.
"I don't know if Fremantle has got anybody who plays it really tough to set standards of grit and determination other than Peter Bell, who's a midget in the twilight of a great career," Shaw said.
"Fremantle has been really disappointing not to have gone on with what they achieved in playing in last year's preliminary final.
"They were fantastic last year to get within one step of a grand final and then to throw up some of the terrible stuff that they have so far this year.
"It was heart-breaking for me to see the meek way the Dockers lost to Geelong last week, when only Bell put his neck on the line, head over the ball and tried to single-handedly drag his team over the line."
Shaw said the Dockers should be a top-four outfit after finishing last season with a maiden preliminary final appearance.
"To be a success for a long period, clubs need to have six to eight really tough and hard core play makers in and around the packs and in key position," he said.
Taylor, a former Pies goal-kicking sensation, has also tipped a Dockers downfall at the MCG.
"Tarrant had better brace more for a loss than the usual jeers and hoots that will go with a bloke coming back to play against his old club," Taylor said.
"Fremantle just has too few blokes that are putting themselves on the line. Very few are playing up to their potential and they have too many passengers. Collingwood has a bunch of blokes, even their youngsters, who are playing to the optimum and Fremantle definitely haven't got that."
Shaw said: "(Tarrant) definitely won't get a great reception.
"Once you leave the Magpie fold to play for anybody else you are immediately an enemy. It doesn't matter what type of service you may have given the club, you are outcast.
"Chris gave Collingwood pretty of good service. But the mob won't care about any of that."
Shaw is Collingwood's games record-holder (313) and was captain of the famous club's 32-year drought-breaking 1990 premiership team.
"I don't think they will actually swap from one end of the ground to the other to get behind the goals to heckle and hoot 'Taz'. It won't be that bad," he said.
"Our supporters are feral and they are incredibly one-eyed and Chris Tarrant will know that.
"He might even find some of the barbs are good natured. But he should expect plenty of hostility, that's a given."
But long-time Magpies football manager Neil Balme, now with Geelong, expects the Pie Army to be kind to Tarrant.
"Collingwood supporters are a pretty dogmatic lot, but they actually loved Chris Tarrant in his time there," Balme said.
"I would probably expect them to be pretty ambivalent.
"His departure probably got under the radar a little bit.
"It might be different if he had gone to say Carlton or another big Melbourne club. They'd really give him hell then."
The rst of it basically talks about the dockers being front runners and how tarrant is goona cop a barrage on Friday both true.
But Buckley a chance to return we kept that secret well.
But here is the article:
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,21797819%5E19765,00.html
FREMANTLE recruit Chris Tarrant has been warned to expect a hostile reception on his return to the MCG to take on his former club Collingwood on Friday.
More pointedly, former Magpie stars Tony Shaw and Brian Taylor said Tarrant should brace for a loss on his homecoming.
Tarrant, 26, will take on his former teammates for the first time since crossing to the Dockers after last season.
Shaw and Taylor have warned Tarrant should prepare for the worst with taunts and jeers from some of the most one-eyed fans in sport.
The Dockers could also be confronted by Magpies captain Nathan Buckley and classy on-baller Paul Licuria, who are on the verge of comebacks for the vital clash.
Meanwhile, Shaw has launched a scathing attack on Fremantle's lack of hard-ball players.
The former Pies tough man said the Dockers lacked a batch of
hard-nosed players to be genuine premiership contenders.
"I don't know if Fremantle has got anybody who plays it really tough to set standards of grit and determination other than Peter Bell, who's a midget in the twilight of a great career," Shaw said.
"Fremantle has been really disappointing not to have gone on with what they achieved in playing in last year's preliminary final.
"They were fantastic last year to get within one step of a grand final and then to throw up some of the terrible stuff that they have so far this year.
"It was heart-breaking for me to see the meek way the Dockers lost to Geelong last week, when only Bell put his neck on the line, head over the ball and tried to single-handedly drag his team over the line."
Shaw said the Dockers should be a top-four outfit after finishing last season with a maiden preliminary final appearance.
"To be a success for a long period, clubs need to have six to eight really tough and hard core play makers in and around the packs and in key position," he said.
Taylor, a former Pies goal-kicking sensation, has also tipped a Dockers downfall at the MCG.
"Tarrant had better brace more for a loss than the usual jeers and hoots that will go with a bloke coming back to play against his old club," Taylor said.
"Fremantle just has too few blokes that are putting themselves on the line. Very few are playing up to their potential and they have too many passengers. Collingwood has a bunch of blokes, even their youngsters, who are playing to the optimum and Fremantle definitely haven't got that."
Shaw said: "(Tarrant) definitely won't get a great reception.
"Once you leave the Magpie fold to play for anybody else you are immediately an enemy. It doesn't matter what type of service you may have given the club, you are outcast.
"Chris gave Collingwood pretty of good service. But the mob won't care about any of that."
Shaw is Collingwood's games record-holder (313) and was captain of the famous club's 32-year drought-breaking 1990 premiership team.
"I don't think they will actually swap from one end of the ground to the other to get behind the goals to heckle and hoot 'Taz'. It won't be that bad," he said.
"Our supporters are feral and they are incredibly one-eyed and Chris Tarrant will know that.
"He might even find some of the barbs are good natured. But he should expect plenty of hostility, that's a given."
But long-time Magpies football manager Neil Balme, now with Geelong, expects the Pie Army to be kind to Tarrant.
"Collingwood supporters are a pretty dogmatic lot, but they actually loved Chris Tarrant in his time there," Balme said.
"I would probably expect them to be pretty ambivalent.
"His departure probably got under the radar a little bit.
"It might be different if he had gone to say Carlton or another big Melbourne club. They'd really give him hell then."
The rst of it basically talks about the dockers being front runners and how tarrant is goona cop a barrage on Friday both true.
But Buckley a chance to return we kept that secret well.
