Taggers

[Voice of Reason]

Mead suggested on another thread that, after KPPs Front and Back (which we'd all agree on), the Eagles need a quality tagger.

Mead's tagger point is interesting because it seems like only yesterday that I was suggesting that we didn't have a place for both Jones and Banfield, who were both taggers at that stage. Jones is now going well further forward because of his overhead strength and Banners, well, I'm not sure where he's at. HBF I guess (and I wasn't talking about the health fund).

It seems to me that the game has speeded up in the last couple of years, exposing both Rowan & Drew's relative lack of pace. You now need to be pretty damn quick to be a tagger.

When our attacking strategy doesn't come off, we seem to struggle to apply defensive pressure in the midfield - and last week we were overrun. We need to have the ability to close down run-ons in the midfield quickly. No back line (let alone our current incarnation) can consistently defend when the ball is raining down from a quality opposition midfield.

Other clubs have damaging negative midfielders (if you can describe a tagger like that) - remember Josh Carr of Port beating Michael Voss up at the Gabba, his brother Matthew at the Dockers has sometimes achieved similar feats, Tyson Stenglein of the Crows is a taller tagger and clearly Stephen Baker outpointed our Chris Judd last weekend.

My question is: Do we have any players that can be developed / converted to go with opposition midfield stars or do we need to recruit?

 

[carlyp]

No need to recruit we've got two blokes on the list who will fill the position nicely

Phil Read, he's a reasonable size (180cm and 79 kg) and he's got the attitude for it.

Daniel Chick? He's also a good size and has a good attitude for that kinda position!

 

[Mead]

Originally posted by Voice of Reason
Mead suggested on another thread that, after KPPs Front and Back (which we'd all agree on), the Eagles need a quality tagger.

Mead's tagger point is interesting because it seems like only yesterday that I was suggesting that we didn't have a place for both Jones and Banfield, who were both taggers at that stage. Jones is now going well further forward because of his overhead strength and Banners, well, I'm not sure where he's at. HBF I guess (and I wasn't talking about the health fund).

It seems to me that the game has speeded up in the last couple of years, exposing both Rowan & Drew's relative lack of pace. You now need to be pretty damn quick to be a tagger.

When our attacking strategy doesn't come off, we seem to struggle to apply defensive pressure in the midfield - and last week we were overrun. We need to have the ability to close down run-ons in the midfield quickly. No back line (let alone our current incarnation) can consistently defend when the ball is raining down from a quality opposition midfield.

Other clubs have damaging negative midfielders (if you can describe a tagger like that) - remember Josh Carr of Port beating Michael Voss up at the Gabba, his brother Matthew at the Dockers has sometimes achieved similar feats, Tyson Stenglein of the Crows is a taller tagger and clearly Stephen Baker outpointed our Chris Judd last weekend.

My question is: Do we have any players that can be developed / converted to go with opposition midfield stars or do we need to recruit?

I thoroughly agree with you agreeing with me

Its a bit of a wierd one, because the ability to be a good tagger seems to have more to do with mentality than it does with physical attributes. I guess your 'ideal' tagger would be probably at least 180-185cm and reasonably strong and fast. We have some players in that category, but the mental side of things is more difficult, and I don't think you can tell who would tag well until they've tried.
They've got have an impeccable footy brain, because they'll always need to balance staying with their opponent and getting quality possessions of their own. They have to be able to rile the opponent without giving away free kicks, and they need to know when to get first hands to the ball, and when to hang back and slap on the tackle. Its all a delicate balancing act, and I think the problem we have is that we don't have anyone with that complete package. As you say, Jonesy and Banfield both seem not quite fast enough to handle the speed demons of the competition, whilst some of the other option, Braun and Wooden, lack the physical grunt to pull it off.
Chick and Read both have some ability, but again, lack the explosive pace to do the job.

One player I have great hopes for is Adam Selwood. 188cm, very quick, and not afraid to get in and mix it up. From what I've seen, he also seems to be a pretty smart cookie when it comes to reading the play.

 

[noodle]

**** the tagger off. i'd love to have an eagles player that can tackle.

 

[carlyp]

Re: Re: Taggers

Originally posted by Mead
One player I have great hopes for is Adam Selwood. 188cm, very quick, and not afraid to get in and mix it up. From what I've seen, he also seems to be a pretty smart cookie when it comes to reading the play.

Hmmmmmmmm sounds the goods. Phill Read could teach him some things to say to players to **** them off. Maybe he is the answer. He's the right size and he's quick. Does he have the nastiness in him?

 

[carlyp]

Originally posted by noodle
**** the tagger off. i'd love to have an eagles player that can tackle.

Chick is good with this.
Kerr is usually a good little tackler.
??????????????????
Granted they havent been great in the last month but still...they can do it.

 

[Voice of Reason]

Originally posted by noodle
**** the tagger off. i'd love to have an eagles player that can tackle.

....with more than one arm away from Subiaco......

 

[Mead]

Re: Re: Re: Taggers

Originally posted by carlyp
Hmmmmmmmm sounds the goods. Phill Read could teach him some things to say to players to **** them off. Maybe he is the answer. He's the right size and he's quick. Does he have the nastiness in him?

Well thats the big question- as i said, you can have the size, strength, speed and stamina to be a wonderful tagger, but if you don't have the mindset for it, then that will all be wasted. Maybe intensive seminars with Ready on how to be a ****er (with possible guest lectures from Karl Langdon) would be in order.

 

[carlyp]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Taggers

Originally posted by Mead
Well thats the big question- as i said, you can have the size, strength, speed and stamina to be a wonderful tagger, but if you don't have the mindset for it, then that will all be wasted. Maybe intensive seminars with Ready on how to be a ****er (with possible guest lectures from Karl Langdon) would be in order.

LOL, I can see it now.

First day of the preseason Adam Sellwood walks into Subiaco oval and Woosha smiles and says..... Your with Ready today buddy!
He finds Read and they go into a lecture theatre and Phill Read starts with.....
Goodmorning and welcome to Howtobeanasshole 101. Im your lecturer Phill Read. Most lectures you'll have with me and if you look through the tutorial and lecture program you'll see that we have two guest lecturers, one from Karl Langdon and another from Tony Libberatore, both experts in this field
By the end of summer he'd be the biggest prick youd ever meet!

 

[TheRealBuzz]

It was a role that I hoped Danny Chook would fill this year. And, early in the year, he looked like doing exactly that (his jobs on Pavlich, Yze, Buckley were top notch).

Unfortunately, I think his body has become quite fragile, and the days of him playing four quarters of footy in the midfield could be over (hope I'm wrong).

Humm-dinger is the only other bloke I could suggest, but he hasn't really stepped up like I hoped he would this year.

 

[carlyp]

Originally posted by TheRealBuzz
Humm-dinger is the only other bloke I could suggest, but he hasn't really stepped up like I hoped he would this year.

Yeah, he certainly hasnt impressed me in 2003. I thought we'd found a winner after the round 22 game last year where he really stood up in that last half of football. Seems unlikely now though doesnt it!

 

[larrikin]

Originally posted by TheRealBuzz
Humm-dinger is the only other bloke I could suggest, but he hasn't really stepped up like I hoped he would this year.

Is he quick enough?

Geez Josh Carr would be handy to have in our squad, but all reports are he's very happy in Adelaide.

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

Wooden

 

[carlyp]

Originally posted by daddy_4_eyes
Wooden

Too slow???

 

[Eagle_Fan]

Nope.

Have faith in the almight Jez. The Hummer will come good once again. Would've been of use on Sunday actually.... all heart.

 

[noodle]

Originally posted by carlyp
Too slow???

wooden is one of the fastest in our squad. he might fall down in the elite fitness category but not in speed.

Originally posted by carlyp
Chick is good with this.
Kerr is usually a good little tackler.
??????????????????
Granted they havent been great in the last month but still...they can do it.

these 2 have been our best with jonah not far behind. that said we are still a pretty pathetic team when it comes to laying a hand on the opposition.

 

[carlyp]

wooden is one of the fastest in our squad. he might fall down in the elite fitness category but not in speed.

Really??? I wouldnt have know. Well you learn something new every day. I wasnt sure, thats why I put the question mark after it?



these 2 have been our best with jonah not far behind. that said we are still a pretty pathetic team when it comes to laying a hand on the opposition.

Yeah you are right. We need more blokes applying more pressure!

 

[Captain Random]

Humm's got the guts to do it.

 

[llosis]

Originally posted by carneagles
Humm's got the guts to do it.

I'd like to see him groomed for it. He'd have to have an Embley type pres season to get his motor up to midfield speed before he'd become the gun we're looking for

 

[Frodo]

I think Banners is a good tagger and Jones particularly good.....but our style of play is to run in numbers and not to tag. Just line Brisbane....and it's worked.

 

[ozzult]

Taggers should be outlawed.

 

[Thrawn666]

Originally posted by ozzult
Taggers should be outlawed.

Even Fatty Lamb?

 

[larrikin]

Originally posted by Thrawn666
Even Fatty Lamb?

He wasn't really a tagger, they didn't emerge til about 96 I think. It's funny how footy runs in cycles, but the tagger these days is a noin-event - doesn't really happen. It's like the flood - supposedly it was gonna kill footy, and yet this year the scores are as high as ever.......

 

[USAEagle]

Where's Laurie Bellotti when you need him? Round 6 1999, he tagged Chris Grant and held him to like 6 posessions. Dogs didn't even score until the 15 minute mark of the 2nd quarter when it was 67-0.

Josh Wooden is injured or would certainly be playing now.

 

[Thrawn666]

Originally posted by larrikin
He wasn't really a tagger, they didn't emerge til about 96 I think. It's funny how footy runs in cycles, but the tagger these days is a noin-event - doesn't really happen. It's like the flood - supposedly it was gonna kill footy, and yet this year the scores are as high as ever.......

Fatty had tagging roles regularly, just before it became a fad, and probably before it gained notoriety. Just ask Diesel Williams how well Fatty played the role.