Tarrant still 50-50

[bwphantom]

I realise that Tarrant is having a great year overhead and around the ground. However his kick stats are 32 goals 26 behinds. He still has a lot of room for improvement. If he can close that gap he will in my mind become one of the best forwards in recent years.

Work hard Tazza we are all behind you mate!!!

[MissMagpie_20]

Yep i think that has been his only weakness in his game this year mate. Probably one of the poorer conversion rates for most star forwards, so as soon as he can recify this problem he will rise to superstardom i beleive. Not sure if its a technical problem or a confidence thing (this has been discussed before) but im confident Taz can turn it around. Imagine Tazza with the left foot consistency of say Matty Lloyd. Now that would be a dream come true.

[freddie foxx]

true, but taz isnt a forward in the same vein as say lloyd or neitz. He plays the role of a floating forward essentially because the nature of his playing style (he likes to pass and assist as well. In other words he's not naturally as goal hungry as some forwards are.) But yeah he is still improving which is awesome.

[MissMagpie_20]

Good point Freddie, Hes definately not in the FF mould as Neitz or Lloyd, but imagine his game if he had the left foot consistency of Lloyd. Even though he is more of a flanker or floating forward, this extra dimension would make him truly awesome.

[JLC]

I think Taz is one of the best forwards going around at present. I cant think of too many forwards who get to as many contests as Tarrant does or even lead as well he does. Tazza has also improved the defensive side of his game. Also i think its important to note how many goals Tarrant has given away this year or set up for teammates. I think you will find that he would have had quite a few as he is a very unselfish player. The only player i think who has dominated Tarrant is Gspar from Richmond. However Gaspar wont be there second time round so Taz should be able to run riot

Neitz is an interesting player as he initially made his mark as a backman. Initally when he first started playing up forward Melbourne supporters were dead set against that idea. However now it seems like most agree he should be left there.

I couldnt ask much more of Taz. Any expectation i had of him at the start of the year have been exceeded. I just hope he keeps playing like this for the rest of the year.

jlc

[Lazza]

Has Collingwood got a kicking coach? Maybe Peter McKenna or Daics could be enlisted to help him kick straight?
Just a thought!

[Joe]

Needs to improve kicking.
His confidence gets shattered when he misses one,and often looks to pass instead of having a shot.

[MissMagpie_20]

Yep i would like to see him have more faith in his kicking sometimes and not be so quick to pass it off. I wish sometimes he was a little greedier.

[JLC]

Um its called being a team player. If kicks around 2-3 a game and has about 3 or 4 assists then he is doing pretty well.

jlc

[zoia]

i think taz only need to inprove in his kicking for goal, i feel if he kicks 2-4 goals a match his done his job

[Daniel]

I gotta agree.... Tarrant has been a fantastic Half Forward Flanker for us this year.

However, I think what is holding him back from being a champion as a key forward is mainly an ability on his part to hurt opposition on the scoreboard.

He seems 'too eager' to give the ball off at times, when he is within scoring range. Sometimes it appears he will pass the ball to a teammate, not always because the teammate is in a better position to score, but also because he doesn't have enough confidence in his ability to convert.

The stats appear to support this view, as Tarrant has created 35 scoring assists for the year, the equal highest along with Tredrea. Yet 28 of Tredrea's scoring assists have resulted in goals, whereas only 20 of Tarrant's.

Yes it could be argued that Tarrant's teammates haven't made the most of Tarrant's assists, which lends further argument that Tarrant should steady and back himself to score if he marks within range.

[JLC]

[Daniel]

JLC.... yeah I agree, Rocca's output has been below par, bar last week.

....I did state that I think Taz is 'overly' keen to pass as he doesn't seem confident when within range. This leads to him passing to a player not necessarily in a better position to score.

[paulie]

The thing about Tazz is that normally even if he has a very average game he will still take his 5 to 7 marks.He is not a long kick so his bast range for shooting is inside 45 hence his high assist rate. His biggest improvement is in how far he will lead from goal to set up play from half forward to the wing and further if required.He will ver rarely kick a bag of goals but if he can get his 2 or three and set up another couple we will win more games then we lose.

[Northern Pie]

I think it is a bit of a confidence thing, alot of times he does mark the ball in the 50 and is a bit eager to short pass when he is well within range, but as JLC is saying it is very much part of his game to provide and create, so I thikn he is a litle torn. Does anyone know what position he grew up playing because alot of the time youngsters with great talent get thrown in to the midfield of a team. I wonder if he played most of his juniors as a midfielder and his eagerness to move theball on and look for a target is a result of his conditioning in the junior ranks...would be interested to hear from anyone who knows a bit about him in the juniors..

I do think that if he did convert his opportunities he would be the best forward in the competion, but he is still young and will develop even more...He will go on to be one of the AFL's greatest forwards...no doubt

Cheers