Tag watch: Players to be wary of, Round 21

It was a terrible weekend for my SuperCoach team, but a terrific weekend for my credibility as a self-appointed tag expert!

I had a 50% strike rate last week, with my bold prediction of Harry Himmelberg and Jy Simpkin getting tagged come to fruition.

Where I went wrong was assuming Jack Steele would cop the full force of Finn Maginness, however it was the other Jack (of the Sinclair variety) that fell victim.

I was also a whisker away from guessing which Hawthorn midfielder would be swept up by Marcus ‘the wind’ Windhager, but he chose Jai Newcombe instead of Tom Mitchell.

Let’s take a look at the matchups this week to make sure that the players you decide to bring in won’t stink it up on debut.

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Touk Miller v Hawthorn

The Touk train has well and truly left the station, with a five-round averaged bettered by absolutely no-one. With three 150+ scores in his last five games, he’s in the best form all season, but I think it may come to an end this week. He’ll come up against Finn Maginness who matches up against Touk extremely well, being both gut runners and similar height, it’s a pretty like-for-like matchup. In the past month and a bit, he’s kept Jy Simpkin (26), Tim Kelly (80), and Jordan Dawson (80) all very quiet; and he even tagged Jack Sinclair last week for 10 touches up until half-time! As a Touk owner, I’m praying for a miracle, but all signs point to Finn.

Last 3 v Hawthorn: 109, 153, 98

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Zach Merrett v GWS

The only player more in form than Zachy is the man I just mentioned. Since Round 16, he hasn’t dropped below 133, but this week he comes up against a very menacing looking Lachie Ash. Ash put an absolute padlock over Chad Warner (69), limiting the young star to just 20 touches and his third lowest score of the season. With Darcy Parish out of the side, there is no one more likely to attract a tag than Merrett.

Last 3 v GWS: 71, 131, 119

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Jack Macrae/Tom Liberatore v Fremantle

Freo haven’t tagged much this year, but when they do, they tend to tag a superstar. Last week, it was Clayton Oliver who was limited to just 21 disposals and his second lowest score all year. It’s no certainty, but if James Aish is instructed to follow someone, I reckon he follows one of either Macrae or Libba.

Macrae last 3 v Fremantle: 129, 85, 85

Liberatore last 3 v Fremantle: 102, 196, 71

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Aaron Hall v Sydney

IF Aaron Hall comes back into the side, THEN he will be immediately tagged by Ryan Clarke. In the last month and a bit, he’s displayed a tendency to follow rebounding half-backs, with Harry Himmelberg (74), Brodie Smith (68), and Bailey Dale (76) all facing the tagger. I have absolutely zero doubts that if Hall steps onto the field in Round 21, he will be met straight away by Clarke.

Last 3 v Sydney: 97, 127, 104

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Rory Laird v West Coast

This one really doesn’t concern me at all that much. Xavier O’Neill apparently “tagged” Touk Miller (153), but Touk still had 31 touches so either Xavier O’Neill is a terrible tagger, or I’ve been lied to. Even if Laird is tagged by the Eagles’ very own Tooth Fairy, I can’t see him being shut down at all. The man is a freak!

Last 3 v West Coast: 136, 104, 120