Which Dees get the tag?
A breakdown of which Melbourne players opposition teams are tagging
Tagging is one of the more divisive coaching strategies in the modern game. As a coach, if you can shut down the opposing team’s best players, of course you’re going to do it. It’s not always pretty for fans but you can understand the rationale behind it.
In years gone by, opposition teams could essentially shut down the Demons midfield by tagging Nathan Jones. Incredibly, Jones learnt to push through a hard tag and remained Melbourne’s most consistent player despite the run-with attention.
But it’s now 2014 and the Demons midfield is no longer a one man band. The additions of Daniel Cross, Bernie Vince and Dom Tyson, together with the development of Jack Viney have bolstered the Dees attack. So who’s getting the hard tag this year? I’ll be referencing fanfooty’s tagging data to break down which Demons opposing coaches are targeting.
Jones is still no. 1
Despite the added midfield depth, Nathan Jones still gets the majority of opposition tags. Of Melbourne’s 12 matches to-date, a mid has been tagged in 7 of them. Jones has copped it in 5.
Jones has become expert at shaking a hard tag, often taking his opponent forward in the style of Adelaide’s Patrick Dangerfield. He spoke in the preseason about Paul Roos’ sage advice on breaking a tag and it’s clearly paying dividends.
So how much does a tag limit Jones’ influence? Not much at all. Without a tag, Jones averages 28.9 disposals and 108.1 SuperCoach points. When running free, he has produced 27.2 disposals and 112.4 SC points. Jones’ other numbers also remain consistent, while his disposal efficiency percentage actually climbs from 69.8% to 73.9%.
Dom Tyson
As a testament to his effectiveness, Dom Tyson has been tagged twice in his young Demon career. Much like Jones early on, Tyson must learn to overcoming the attention from these throttling defensive players. He has been targeted by two of the games more renowned taggers in Andrew Carrazzo, and Brent Macaffer. The sample size is limited but the dip in his numbers is significant.
In Tyson’s 10 games without a tag, he averages 24.9 touches and 99.9 SC. He also disposes of the footy with very respectable effectiveness at 74.1%. You can see this when watching Dom play, he has a knack for finding a teammate even in heavy traffic. When tagged, Tyson’s numbers slide to 16.5 possessions, 43.5 SC, and his disposal efficiency drops to 66.7%. Significantly, Tyson has managed just 1 clearance when tagged, down from his 5.7 average when allowed to run free.
It’s a great sign for Dees fans that opposing coaches recognise Tyson’s game changing ability this early in his career. Watching him go to work, it’s easy to forget he’s 21 years old and has just played his 25th career game. I’ll resist the temptation to make lofty comparisons but the signs are there. He can be a key player in a very good AFL midfield and if he remains healthy, the Dees’ future is in good hands.
The Dees’ Tagger
Daniel Cross has been fantastic this year. The Dogs’ let him go in order to develop their young guns, but we couldn’t be happier to have signed the savvy veteran. He has been Roos’ go-to tagger, and has been effective in limiting Jarrad McVeigh, Scott Thompson, Brett Deledio, Jared Polec, and Dayne Beams.
Unlike Melbourne’s former go-to tagger Jordie McKenzie, Cross is able to maintain his involvement in the game while running with the opposition’s best players. He appears to relish his role as the Demon’s blue collar midfielder and along with Jack Viney helps provide the inside toughness which we’ve lacked in recent years.
As a parting gift, here’s GAJ providing some amusing insights into Aleister Crowley’s tagging style in the lead up to the 2013 grand final (including a cameo from Paul Roos):
