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Specialist Tagger/Run with player

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Peter Sidorkiewicz

Norm Smith Medallist
Oct 2, 2004
6,967
5,186
Melbourne
AFL Club
Collingwood
I think it is quite obvious that we need to develop one. McCluggage went off in the prelim and we couldn’t stop him.

Jack Crisp used to do it. Is he getting too old?

Ned Long and Ed Allan are top 3 runners at the club. Should one of them be ear marked for the role.

Do we move Perryman to the midfield to do this.

I think McRae needs to find a solution. Can’t continue to load up the midfield with purely offensive players.
 

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Our plans according to Fly was to send Sidey to McLuggage in that prelim (which is what I was hoping for pre game). Only reason it didn’t happen is Pendles’ calf in the first few minutes of the game. Sidey’s proven he can do it on both outside and in-and-out players late 2024.

I think C Scott looked wicked smart with his heavy defensive midfield strategy right up until the GF. If our Prelim and the GF didn’t convince you of the power of offensive running I don’t know what will.

So what I would do is for teams where there is a disproportionate amount of outside ball / SIs coming from one player I would send Sidey. For stoppage ‘tagging’ Pez and Long are enough. I don’t see Pez as that tagger personally outside of stoppage because his strength like Pendles will come from decision making, positioning taking space and knowing when to go and when to stay which you can’t do as a dedicated tagger.

Wild card is Crisp as I’m not super confident on his form and role going into 2026 so it could be a reinvention/back to the future thing for him to get a tagging role again.
 

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Specialist Tagger/Run with player

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