Carlton coach Mick Malthouse has warned against an over-reaction to the role of the tagger following Brent Harvey’s three-game suspension.
The AFL Tribunal on Tuesday night found the fiery small forward guilty of misconduct.
North Melbourne’s 382-game veteran threw his tagger Liam Picken to the ground and pinned him with a forearm to the throat during Sunday’s round-21 clash at Etihad Stadium.
A tough back-pocket player in Richmond’s 1980 premiership side, Malthouse says there’s room for taggers in the modern game.
The triple-premiership coach says the umpires are doing a good job policing the battles between superstars and their minders.
“See I was an ex-tagger,” Malthouse told reporters on Wednesday at the YMCA’s Bridge Project Breakfast.
“If we are going to just sum our game up by saying we need superstars in the game of football, with all due respects to them, first and foremost I’m a great admirer of Brent Harvey …
“However there is a place for taggers. We’re not all gifted like some of the superstars.
“There is a role for them and there are rules that shouldn’t be any different for them than they are for other players.
“So if you infringe, you infringe. It shouldn’t be just because you are a tagger that you should be ultra-looked at to say ‘well make sure that he doesn’t infringe’.
“That should happen all over the ground.
“So I’m a little bit caught in saying that if we want to have the superstar play, then there’s got to be a banning of taggers playing the game.
“I don’t think it’s possible and I don’t think the game caters for it.”
Malthouse says star onballers can’t expect to get 35 touches each week without having “some player put up a resistance to him”.
Malthouse’s 1980 premiership teammate and ex-Richmond coach Kevin Bartlett said Harvey’s actions were wrong, but star players deserve better protection.
“You’ve got to know which players are going to be targeted because they’re the ones that draw people to the game,” Bartlett told SEN Radio.
“It is important that throughout the entire game that umpires are wary of the tactics taggers use.”
BigAl
Guest
Sure it's a sporting field, but there are rules to that sport
Pope Paul VII
Guest
I'm nearly over Harv's inventive tag brake but as Mick brought it up but one thing it did highlight was how far it was off the ball. A decent short pass away at least. The play is still going on a fair distance away as Harv essays the loop de loop on the Red Baron.
Macca
Guest
Good to hear - has Beryl pryed herself out of the Gyprock yet?
Jason H
Roar Rookie
I went in low Macca. :)
Macca
Guest
Hope there is no CCTV in the tea rook Jason otherwise you could have the MRP breathing down your neck looking for incidental head high contact ;)
Jason H
Roar Rookie
It's a sporting field. Next you'll be wanting to bring in OH&S, no speckys. I haven't laid many tackles at work today, although I did manage an awesome hip and shoulder to get to the milk.
Martin
Guest
Tagging is a form of harassment in the workplace, although in this sport it is acceptable to do.
Macca
Guest
Some people have less patience than others as well - how many times have you seen Harvey lose his rag? This only encourages antagonising behaviour. While I agree umps could do more taggers can't do what ever they want, Crowley has had 32 free paid against him this year & Brent McAffer 24 - and not all taggers play as loose with the rules as Picken, Crowley and McAffer.
Kev
Guest
Everyone has a limited amount of patience. Not exactly fair that taggers can do whatever they want and then when their opponent finally snaps, they are punished while the tagger gets off scot free.
Gecko
Roar Pro
If I were an umpire this weekend, my eyes would be on Picken and McCaffer, probably the two dirtiest taggers in the game at the moment. No accident that both Harvey and Ablett got frustrated with Picken.
Macca
Guest
Me too Jason. AQlso if you look at the Blues 2 taggers Carrazzo has played 12 games and given away 7 free kicks, Curnow has played 13 games and given away 7 free kicks - you don't have to be holding and scragging to be a good tagger.
jasonk
Guest
Makes sense to me.