Taggers.

[shawthing09]

Collingwood has a lack of them. Rhyce being option one ATM. Cook looks likely to be at the least able to play that role.

My idea however would be to give Marty Clarke and DT various tagging responsibilities. Set backs in both of them playing midfield involve their ability to read the game in the middle. Thomas also has a lot of critics about his willingness to do the basics. I think Thomas has shown the ability to play the role when playing on Bartell. Clarke has been used as both a small defender and midfielder and tagging seems something he would be suited too.

I am not suggesting this as a long term solution, more of a short term solution and good education process. Players like Adam Simpson and Paul Licurria did well learning how to read it and where to run from following the good players around all day.

Even today players like Kirk Cornes (K variety) and Sewell have made transitions from taggers to good midfielders in their own right while pseudo tagging. I.E running with a good player with the licence to back their own judgement and get it for themself.

P.S this thread seemed familar when I was writting it so if i have posted similar before and forgot about it or if i have stolen this off someone else I do apologise

 

[The Dawes]

We certainly do lack a decent tagger, Rhyce notwithstanding.

We continually get killed by the likes of Black, Foley, Mitchell et al.

I don't mind the idea of Cook or even Clarke doing the job to help them learn how to play at AFL level, but not Thomas - he has flair and that intangible x factor, so we should continue to be proactive with him not reactive.

 

[Snag Breac]

I heard a discussion on SEN about, I think, Selwood of Geelong. They said that he'd been used at half-back to teach him the game. Is that what they've been doing with Marty? And why is this position so instructive?

 

[The Dawes]

I heard a discussion on SEN about, I think, Selwood of Geelong. They said that he'd been used at half-back to teach him the game. Is that what they've been doing with Marty? And why is this position so instructive?

The basic idea is that by playing on an established opposition player, you can see where they run to, how and where they position themselves at stoppages, etc, etc and by being exposed to this at close quarters players like Cook and Clarke should learn and hopefully improve their games.

 

[shawthing09]

The basic idea is that by playing on an established opposition player, you can see where they run to, how and where they position themselves at stoppages, etc, etc and by being exposed to this at close quarters players like Cook and Clarke should learn and hopefully improve their games.

Yep. Players like Scotty Burns, Tarks, Swan and Benny J all ran of the HBF at one point or another.

It is great for weening players into the midfield who may not have the experince or sorta natural game reading ability to by able to stay involved or find the ball on their own right.

As for Thomas and his creativity. I don't think that has to go simply because he is being accountable. He seems naturally confident and I doubt he would be to hesitant to back himself in when appropriate. It would however IMO be good to help him quickly develop the midfield understanding he lacks and also force him to do the bread and butter stuff more consistantly