Tarrant to bulk up

[d9 tank]

Nah his technique is very flawed. Bigger legs won't help that.

Still it should help him when he has to wrestle one out in the square.

I just hope he doesn't lose pace on the lead because without that he will struggle. Having said that 2-3 kgs shouldn't affect him too much either way.

[favourites 2008]

Yeh too much can be a downfall but as i mentioned im sure the collingwood footy club will know what is best for Chris.

[pietillidie]

I think playing Tazza in a roving HF position is a waste - he either bulks up to play a key position or he turns into a Koutoufides type on the ball. I'm happy to go with the former because we surely can't play another season with Anthony Rocca as the only decent pack mark/heavyweight forward in the side. Rusling and C3 can take Tazza's old role.

[thesleepysupporter]

how about "taz to improve accuracy"

or "taz to stop being a sooky la la"

or "taz to actually earn his wage"

or "taz to take responsibility for his performances"

or "taz dropped to williamstown for poor form"

or "taz signs declaration that he is michael malthouses love child"

all of these things would be good for the club and would explain a lot.

[Johnson#26]

Or maybe: "Taz played with a cyst behind his knee for most of the season and therefore could not play to his full capacity"?

Give him a break, sleepysupporter. He was never fully fit, all season. Cut the guy some slack. He will return bigger and and better than ever in '06.

[rychenroller]

[Woods Of Ypres]

[EddieGold]

I would rather he spent the time practicing kicking for goal

[EddieGold]

FFS - talking to some people on this site is like belting your head against a brick wall

Tazza is best on the lead - he should just run around the field all day as no one can keep up with him. The two years he played well he took 8 billion marks.

He should not in no way, never, no time, not in the slightest, never ever ever, no way Hosa, nill, nought, nope, naked truth, no, please God ever play one out in the goal square.

He is wasted there.

Gets bored. Gets a chill. Turns off. Goes to sleep. Thinks about something else. Thinks about sleeping. Sleeps about thinking. Has a wank. Has a wink. Has a wink and a wank. Is lost to the team. Gets frustrated. Gets reported. Needs his mummy. Wants to go back to the Murray. Thinks about his next beer. Thinks about his next blonde. Wonders why Celeste left him. Turns Off. Looks like a lost soul. Trys reciting Shakespeare. Acts like Lady McBeth. Starts singing Johnny Farnham songs to himself. Wishes he was on a kontiki tour. Doesn't get the ball. Worries about the shot he just missed from 10 metres out.

When he is left one out in the goal square.

[pietillidie]

Leading and bulking up to play a key position are not mutually exclusive EddieGold - the best forwards do both.

[Zakal]

its not like he's putting on 20kgs...its 2-3kgs in his legs so that maybe, just maybe his NEXT two years arnt ruined my leg injuries as well.

Its not going to turn him into a slug, and even if it slowed him down a little bit, he'd still be faster than any defender in the comp.

For those who say he shouldnt play out of the goal square though (while i agree) consider this. According to that article by Schwass, Inside 40m, Taz was statistically the most accurate kick for goal in the AFL at the time of writing, with somethign like 19 goals 3.

If for some reason he isnt able to follow the advice in the rest of the article about getting his 40+ range kicks right, playing closer to goal is going to be the more damaging option from a pure accuracy persepective.

So maybe a bit of bulking up wont hurt him.

Additionally, he says he wants to play in the middle, so maybe its more about lowering his centre of gravity (like someone said earlier) so he's more effective at ground level.

[EddieGold]

Play him on the wing and let him run all over the field

his aroebic capacity is larger than anybody in the AFL

tell him you want him to run 35km a game, this is about 10km more than a typical ruck rover

his training and body shape should be best suited to that.

he is NOT a pack mark.

he is a 6 4, large engined, work machine who on a lead is unstopable.

but his best type of leads are those of 50 metres not 15 metres.

[pietillidie]

A few 80m leads from Taz to the wing are handy, but any more than a few is merely evidence that either (a) the midfielders are failing to carry the ball through the lines and/or clear the backline with any degree of confidence, or (b) Taz is trying to shake three defenders in the forward line due to a lack of support (as was the case with Pebbs injured).

At the end of the day we need two big targets inside 50m and midfielders carrying the ball down the ground (with another big target being groomed in case of injury). We have plenty of mobile forward options, but we need big targets - I don't mean a monster sitting in the square, I mean someone who leads 30-40m most of the time and can handle a pack if need be. C3, Rusling and Fraser (when not rucking) can take on the more floating forward roles until they develop. Floating roles, however, are merely the icing on the cake and are useless without focal points.

The fact that Taz has a big tank doesn't mean he can't be a big forward/focal point - it just means he'll have the capacity to be a more mobile focal point, like Treadrea at Port (who is of a very similar height/weight if the AFL stats are correct). But at the moment, he's stuck somewhere between being a forward and a midfielder and I personally think the side needs him to go one way or the other. Obviously the club thinks the same if they're putting bulk on his legs - you only need stronger legs if you're taking contested marks, not sprinting to the wings.

If Taz doesn't learn to take a key position, then Anthony Rocca remains the most important player in the side and we're stuffed once more if he gets injured. Of course this may change when the likes of the Clokes and Rusling mature, but until then it would be absurd to go through another season with only one forward capable of being a focal point.

[stui magpie]

Well, as others have already noted, if he's bulking up in the legs, he won't be playing on the ball. He's designated as a KPP.

If he increases his core strength so he can hold his ground that will improve his chances of taking contested marks. If they do it right, it won't interfere with his ability to run around but with Pebbles back and Josh, Ruz , C 1,2,3 all potentially in the forward line at various stages, it will make it really hard for the oppostion to triple team him all the time. We should be able to put at least 3 quality talls in the forward line at any one time which will make it easier for him instead of being the centre of attention.

And while I personally would love to see him have some freedom roaming around, if anyone thinks 6 foot 4 and 15 stone isn't big enough for a KPP they've been watching too much WWE.

[KYPREO]

IMO he could always afford to put on 3kg in his legs. He might be a machine in his upper body but he has chicken legs. The big upper body does very little for one's ability to take a contested march - that power all comes through the legs and the core. A few kg's will not be a negative in any way in terms of mobility, speed or endurance, provided it is done the right way. You can have decently sized legs and still be able to do the splits if you train correctly. Look at any hurdler or 100m sprinter and check out their legs - they dwarf Tarrant's. Our own junior sprinter Rusling has a much more balanced build and decently sized legs.

I was very happy to hear about this and hopefully he has strengthened his knee in the process and can have a injury free year.